The Carlton Football Club has proudly unveiled its 2016 Indigenous Guernsey which honours Aboriginal icon and pioneer Sir Doug Nicholls. 

This year’s guernsey, which will be worn when the Blues face Geelong in Round 10 at Etihad Stadium, was designed by proud Wurundjeri-willam woman Mandy Nicholson.

In conjunction with official on-field supplier Nike, the Blues launched their new guernsey with Sir Doug Nicholls’ daughter Aunty Pam Pedersen and Carlton star Andrew Walker at Ikon Park.

The design of the guernsey honours the life and journey of Sir Doug Nicholls of which the upcoming 2016 AFL Indigenous Round is named after.

“Sir Doug has given so much, not only to his people but also to the wider Australian community,” Nicholson said.

“I asked permission from his daughter Aunty Pam and granddaughter Ngarra if I could depict his Creation Spirits (totems) that connect him to his proud Yorta Yorta heritage and they both gave me their blessing.

"I am very proud to have incorporated the significant contribution Sir Doug made to his community in this year’s Carlton Football Club guernsey.”   

Both the Dangala (Murray) and Birrarung (Yarra) Rivers are depicted in the design, while Sir Doug’s creation spirits are incorporated via the long neck turtle and emu seen on the front of the guernsey.

The rivers represent unity and connect to country, while the small circles along the sides of the rivers show the many paths travelled by Sir Doug and his people to Melbourne, both for traditional purposes of trade and politics but also the many paths made towards reconciliation in the past, present and into the future.

Sir Doug Nicholls is the only VFL/AFL player to have been knighted and to have served as a State Governor.

The national figure was born at the Cummeragunja Aboriginal Mission in NSW in 1906, but moved to Victoria and played in the VFA with Northcote where he was part of the Club's 1929 premiership. 

He then later joined Fitzroy in 1932 and played 54 games for the Club between 1932 and 1937, and also played two games for Victoria.

Proceeds from retail sales of the guernsey will go to the Syd Jackson Scholarship. The Carlton Football Club 2016 Indigenous Round Guernsey is now available for order at The Carlton Shop. For more information, please click here.