For the first time, a full team of Victoria University students competed at the UniSport Indigenous Nationals.
The squad of 17 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student athletes, alongside Moondani Balluk (VU Indigenous Academic Unit) staff Marcus Brooke, Fiona Hale and Shane Baker-I'Anson touched down in Perth (Boorloo) for the 29th Indigenous Nationals, held from 23-27 June 2025 at the University of Western Australia (UWA), on Whadjuk Noongar Country.
Marcus Brooke, who manages Aboriginal student support at Moondani Balluk brought together VU's first combined team with Swinburne University's Indigenous Unit in 2017. He credited Moondani Balluk's decades of leadership in community-building and Aboriginal Self-Determination for making student representation possible in 2017, and for strengthening it in the following years.
VU Sport have also been key partners since the very beginning, supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student athletes to excel, by providing facilities and resources for training, and helping to prepare for the event.
"Achieving a full University squad is a special milestone for Moondani Balluk," Marcus said.
The squad competed in basketball, netball, touch football and volleyball, joining more than 500 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students from 35 universities across the country for a week of sport, culture and connection.
Cultural safety, with sport as a platform
Marcus explained that at the Indigenous Nationals "students can express themselves in a culturally safe space, connect and network with one another, and embrace their community and culture. And it's a platform to promote sport and healthy living."
Students from across the country come to study at VU and with Moondani Balluk, and the Indigenous Nationals is a key student event to help students further build that sense of belonging, to interact with their mob, strengthen their identity and see family.
"We hope that the spirit and camaraderie shown over the week will continue for our students and we are proud and thankful that they took part," Marcus said.
Taking it up a level
Student Co-Captain Stella Rose Lay, has played a key role in this year's event: "Stella has taken ownership with the event and became the key representative - organising our training sessions, our uniform, registrations and everything else in between in the lead up to the competition. Her arrival was perfect timing," Marcus said.
Stella said that throughout training and competition, "our students demonstrated real determination and competitiveness, pushing each other to be their best both on and off the court/field."
Just as importantly, they had the chance to connect with mob from all over the country, build friendships, and deepen their cultural pride and connection to community.
"Watching our athletes represent VU with pride, culture, and unity was a highlight for me, and it shows just how powerful these opportunities are for our community. I'm already excited to see what we can achieve together in the years to come," Stella said.
Learn more about Moondani Balluk Indigenous Academic Unit.
