Sporting Houses

KABBARLI

The sport house of Kabbarli is named after Daisy May Bates arrived in Australia in 1884. From 1902 she spent her life with remote Aboriginal tribes. In 1904 she was appointed to research the local tribes and in 1910-1911 she joined Alfred Radcliffe-Brown’s expedition.

She studied the Aboriginal life and customs and worked for their welfare by setting up camps for the aged and fighting the attempts to have the native people "westernised". She is known among the native people as "Kabbarli", meaning "grandmother".

BENNELONG

The sport house Bennelong was named after the Aborigine of the same name. Bennelong and another Aborigine named Colebee were captured by the British under a plan of Governor Phillip.

Arthur Phillip in 1789 to persuade the Aborigines of the benefits of a European civilised life. Both escaped the next year and Bennelong bore witness to Governor Phillip being speared at Manly while trying to make contact with a group of Aborigines.

Later that year Bennelong returned to Sydney Cove with his family to live in a hut built for him by Phillip on the point now bearing his name.

WOOMERA

The sport house of Woomera is named after the woomera, a native spear thrower.

The woomera increases the length of the throwing arm. Because of this a woomera increases the speed of a thrown spear and increased the distance it will travel. A good woomera is indispensable when hunting game at a distance with a spear. One end of a woomera has a hook, which the butt of the spear hooks into. The other end often has two woomera shells attached and fastened with bush wax and perhaps decorated with giddee-giddee beads.

 EUROA