Leichhardt engages local artist to design jerseys for Northern Spirit Basketball Club

Pictured: Morgan Mair and Tenellia 'Biju' Lockyer with Tenellia's artwork and the Leichhardt sponsored NSBC jersey

Leichhardt is committed to supporting the Karratha and wider community in the Pilbara region, including Indigenous organisations and Traditional Owners. Our vision is to engage in partnerships with local community organisations that share our values of openness, passion, excellence, and legacy. As a diverse, family-oriented basketball club in Karratha, Northern Spirit Basketball Club presented a fantastic opportunity for Leichhardt to support the local community in a meaningful way that has lasting impact.

Northern Spirit Basketball Club President, Morgan Mair, grew up playing basketball which developed into a passion for community sport. She moved to the Pilbara 14 years ago and in 2019, founded the Northern Spirit Basketball Club with a group of like-minded individuals who identified the need for an additional club in the rapidly growing Karratha Basketball Association.

“The focus of the club was to ensure that all our junior players and their families were presented with the same opportunity already in existence at other clubs and that was: to create opportunities for everyone to be included, to participate in basketball, to be and feel connected have a sense of pride and belonging”, said Morgan.

She highlights that what sets Northern Spirit apart from other sporting clubs is their commitment to accommodating everybody and to make sure that participating in community sport is affordable and accessible for all.

“We have a different mindset to many sporting clubs, we of course want our players to develop, excel and be their best on the court, but I believe it’s our efforts off the court that have a true impact on our members. We continue to look outside the box and are committed and prepared to make it happen for our members. As such, we have implemented a number of initiatives within our club to ensure that our members feel welcomed and supported from the very first point of contact and throughout their time within the club. Since our establishment, we have introduced Senior & Junior Player subsidies, Mentor programs, a Junior Development program, and many volunteer engagement and recognition activities.”

The club is seeing consistent growth, boasting 300 playing members and 60 volunteers, and is proud to be one of the most diverse in Karratha, with between 60-70% of the Women’s competition identifying as Indigenous or Torres Strait Islander

“This season we are extremely proud to see our senior Women’s competition grow. We have a lot of mums coming back to the game and getting involved around the club. We even have mother daughter combinations in some teams, which is fantastic to see.”

As Club President, Morgan says she is grateful for the opportunity to give back to community and a sport which taught her so much as a child and continues to as an adult.

“What I enjoy most about my role at the Club is being able to make a difference in the lives of young people. Our committee are really supportive and work extremely hard to support our members, but I think for all of us, it’s seeing the kids’ desire to come back each week after being challenged, their engagement in and around the club, and those smiles when they step out onto the court.”

When Leichhardt spoke with Morgan about engaging a local artist, it was through a mutual connection at the Ngarluma Yindjibarndi Foundation Ltd (NYFL) that Morgan met Tenellia ‘Biju’ Lockyer, a young emerging Yindjibarndi artist based in Roebourne.

“Tenellia’s family has strong ties to the Roebourne sporting community and as a well-respected community member, Traditional Owner, and great artist, we knew she would be able to tell our story of coming together, connection, and community spirit’”, said Morgan.

Recognising the importance of engaging local artists, Leichhardt sponsored the commission of an artwork for the club’s warm up jerseys. Her artistic practice began when she started painting with her mother, who is an artist with Juluwarlu Art Group in Roebourne.

“I started painting with her to try something new and it just took off from there. Painting with other women in the community is a real bonding experience that I find very empowering”, Tenellia commented.

The design is inspired by the distinct palette of the Pilbara landscape and the notion of community that is built on a shared passion for sport. The artwork will not only communicate the essence of Northern Spirit to the wider community, but showcase Tenellia as an independent local artist, leading to recognition of her practice and more opportunities in the industry.

“I used to paint at Juluwarlu group, but I went independent to see how that would go. I enter in local exhibitions and art awards in Roebourne and the Pilbara region. I’ve had lots of people approach me which is exciting. It’s been a learning curve and it’s all pretty new to me at the moment”, said Tenellia.

Engaging Tenellia as a local artist has had a positive impact on the club and its members.

“It has been an absolute pleasure to work with Tenellia on this artwork. Every time we look at the jersey, we always find something new in the intricate details. We’re just so incredibly proud and grateful to Tenellia for creating our very own commissioned artwork that really represents our club”, said Morgan.

“We want to thank Leichhardt for their generous sponsorship of Northern Spirit Basketball Club. With their support, we’ve been able to engage Tenellia, as a local artist, and give these jerseys to 200 kids and 60 volunteers for free this year. They get their own piece of completely unique artwork that represents their community and our club, so I’m sure will be as proud as we are to wear it” she added.

Leichhardt CEO, Nathan Douglas, is thrilled with the outcome of the commissioned artwork and their partnership with the Club. “The team at Leichhardt are very excited to see the Northern Spirit jerseys worn around town by its members and volunteers. They look fantastic! We look forward to supporting the Club throughout the season and wish all the players the best of luck.”