By Ant Wingard
The Morningside Panthers are taking a stand against discrimination this Mothers’ Day with the first Panthers Respect Community Fun Day.
This Sunday, May 12, the Panthers will invite members of the wider community to partake in the activities that includes a Mothers’ Day walk from Hawthorne Park, up Hawthorne Road to Oxford Street and back down Riding Road to Jack Esplen Oval.
The three kilometre walk will commence at 7:20am and will be led by the Morningside senior men’s and women’s teams that will play in the afternoon. At Jack Esplen Oval, a three kilometre park run will also commence at 7:20am.
The Community Fun Day aims to celebrate the community’s diversity and to take a stand against discrimination and violence.
Morningside Panthers Vice President David Diamond said the initiative was the natural and logical progression from the club’s Sir Doug Nicholls Round last year and hoped to change the public discourse in the Panthers’ east Brisbane region.
“The day is really about our recognition of responsibility as a club to try and educate and shape the discussion within the community,” Diamond told aflq.com.au.
“As a club we have a role in shaping community expectations and standards that we strongly believe in.
“Building on from the Indigenous Round form last year, we though we would take it one step further this year and highlight inclusion. We want to make a statement within the community in regard to inclusion and promoting respectful relationships.”
The Mothers’ Day walk is just one of many initiatives that Panthers’ have planned for the day.
A Mothers’ Day breakfast will be available in the Panthers’ bistro while free face painting and a jumping castle will also be operational.
The morning leads into the Panthers’ Round 7 QAFL clash with Sandgate where the home side will wear a commemorate guernsey.
Modelled off the team’s 2018 Sir Doug Nicholls Round strip, the new-look guernsey will also include a pink inner circle to highlight respect for women and domestic violence, a blue inner circle to highlight mental health. The 2018 strip was based on indigenous artwork by current Panther senior player Matt Serrurier and past player Ambrose Killian
Surrounding the circles at the centre of the playing guernsey are the rainbow colours to highlight all the diversity within our community while the Legacy Australia logo remains fixed on the upper neck on the back of the jumper to recognise the Panthers affiliation with this great community service group.
Morningside wish to invite all members of the community to the club this Sunday for the Panthers Respect Community Fun Day. There is a raffle being organised with all funds going to the local community women’s safe house.
For more information, please contact the club via the Morningside Panthers Facebook page or Vice President David Diamond at ddiamond1@optusnet.com.au.
