Your Task: Read the profiles of these six great leaders Michael Long Michael Long is of Aboriginal descent and a spokesperson for indigenous rights. He played in the AFL/VFL with the Essendon, winning premierships in 1993 and 2000. He joined the AFL/VFL club after winning the 1988 best and fairest award with his former club West Torrens in the South Australian National Football League. He was one of Essendon s best players in the club s 1993 AFL Grand Final win. For his performance, he was awarded the Norm Smith Medal for the best player in the game. The medal was proudly presented by fellow Tiwi Islander, Maurice Rioli. After missing the 1994 season with a serious knee injury, he came back to play a full season in 1995. During a match between Essendon and Collingwood, Michael claimed to have been racially taunted by a Collingwood player. The AFL mediation process that followed set the precedent for the game s tough stance against racial vilification. Long was applauded for his courage in making a public stand on behalf of players of indigenous or culturally diverse backgrounds who play the game. Following his retirement, Michael became a spokesperson for indigenous Australians. He has met with Prime Ministers and politicians to discuss indigenous issues and has been a role model for many indigenous AFL footballers who are playing the game today. Long s commitment to indigenous rights has inspired many indigenous and non-indigenous people to support the indigenous cause in Australia. The Long Walk charity was inspired by Long s walk to Canberra from Melbourne in a bid to get the lives of indigenous people back on the national agenda. Jill Lindsay Before passing away in 2011 after a long illness, Jill Lindsay was the AFL's longest-serving employee. She was the only woman to be acknowledged with life membership of the AFL/VFL. She worked with the AFL/VFL for 40 years, starting as an office clerk in 1970. Despite her illness, Jill was active in her role as the AFL's ground operations manager and continued to work throughout 2010 while undergoing treatment. She took over as VFL membership manager from 1986 and then began the role of AFL ground operations manager from 1991. The replayed Grand Final in 2010 between Collingwood and St Kilda represented her 43rd Grand Final in an official capacity at, firstly the VFL, and then the AFL. In 2010, the AFL Commission announced a scholarship in Jill Lindsay's name, for her outstanding service to the game and to further promote careers for women in sports administration. Apart from her working career with the AFL, Jill also gave a lifetime of service to softball as a player, coach and administrator. She received the Australian Sport Medal in 2000 for her service to softball. On her passing, AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou said, Jill was a mentor to so many women across the football industry. She was a natural leader whose inner strength and support for colleagues made people around her walk taller. She was a person respected at every level of our business; whose values, integrity, work ethic, and commitment to growth personal and for the organisation, and for individuals who work with her, in business and in her sporting life were second to none. Page 1 of 6
Bachar Houli Bachar Houli is an AFL footballer who plays for the Richmond. He was born in Australia to Lebanese parents and is the first devout Muslim to play in the AFL. In his bid to attract AFL club interest, and ensure that he recorded sufficient times to impress recruiters, he consulted with a Sheikh and decided to break his Ramadan fast for three days during the physical endurance tests at the AFL Draft Camp in 2006. Bachar has said that he has found it hard growing up a devout Muslim and trying to play Australian Football. His determination to play the game, however, finally led to his parents accepting and supporting his talents. He was drafted by Essendon in 2006. After his impressive performances in the Bombers' 2008 NAB Cup, he was selected for the club s round one team to play the Kangaroos. He was one of Essendon s best players and received the first round nomination for the AFL Rising Star award. At the end of the 2010 season, Bachar left Essendon and was drafted by Richmond with its only selection in the 2010 Pre-season Draft. Houli has become a leading influence for many young Australian Muslims. His dedication and commitment to his AFL career has enabled him to become a primary figure in his Muslim community. He works one day a week as an AFL multicultural ambassador. Jim Stynes Jim Stynes played for the Melbourne Football Club from 1987 until 1998. He was born and raised in Ireland and was recruited by Melbourne because of his persistence and athletic ability. Stynes knew very few people when he came to Melbourne and did not really know much about Australian Football. After accidentally giving away a 15m penalty in the dying moments of the 1987 preliminary final, in which his team Melbourne was defeated, he worked hard to improve his game. He became known as a tough but fair player and leader. In 1991, he won the Brownlow Medal and was club champion, Hewas also club champion in 1995, 1996 and 1997. Stynes started to work with teenagers and young people with welfare issues while he was still playing. In 2008, he was named president of Melbourne Football Club and remained committed to helping others until he passed away as a result of a long illness in 2011. Page 2 of 6
Sam (Samantha) Mostyn Sam Mostyn has had a career across business, politics, science and the arts, the not-for-profit sector and sport. At the age of 21, after graduating with a law degree from the Australian National University, she left a job in the Magistrates Court to become an associate with Justice Michael Kirby. She then joined the office of then Prime Minister Paul Keating as a senior communications policy adviser. In 2005, Sam was the first woman to be appointed to the AFL Commission. She is a board member of Australian Volunteers International and the Sydney Theatre Company and a community representative on the board of the Australia Council for the Arts. She serves as a non-executive director on the boards of Virgin Blue, Transurban and Citigroup Australia. She is the chair of the Stakeholder Advisory Council of the CSIRO s Climate Adaptation Flagship, a member of the NSW Climate Change Council and serves on the advisory board of Climate Works Australia. Sam continues to build relationships with various sectors of the community and in particular is focused on equality of opportunity for women and a commitment to reconciliation with Indigenous Australians. Her youngest sister Sally was born with a syndrome similar to Down's syndrome. It changed the way Sam and her sisters viewed life. It meant that from an early age they were exposed to the lives of people who had intellectual and physical disabilities, and their families and carers. Majak Daw Majak Daw was born Khartoum, Sudan, and is a professional footballer in the AFL. Daw and his family in Australia are refugees from the civil war in Sudan. He was one of 11 young AFL footballers to be given 2010 Mike Fitzpatrick Scholarships awarded by the AFL Players Association, and accepted the awards on behalf of the other players. After a result of his hard work and persistence, Daw became the first Sudanese Australian to be drafted to an AFL club when he was contracted to North Melbourne in the 2009 AFL Draft and made his debut inthe 2013 season. Daw's drafting gained international attention: it was reported by the BBC and the Voice of America. On June 4, 2011, Daw was racially abused by a supporter, while he was playing for the Werribee Tigers in the VFL. Daw stated that it "made [him] feel really small". The culprit was banned from all VFL games until he completes an anti-racism workshop and formally apologises to Daw for the slur. The incident led to renewed calls to stamp out racism in sport, with then Victorian Premier, Ted Baillieu, labelling Daw a hero. Page 3 of 6
Now let s test what you know about the leaders who you have just read about. Select the correct answer. 1. Michael Long is a former AFL footballer and: a. a dentist b. a politician c. a spokesperson for indigenous rights 2. Jim Stynes came to Australia from: a. Iran b. Italy c. Ireland 3. For how many years did Jill Lindsay work at the AFL/VFL? a. 25 b. 40 c. 32 4. Bachar Houli first played AFL football at: a. North Melbourne b. Melbourne c. Essendon 5. Sam Mostyn once worked for which Prime Minister? a. Paul Keating b. John Howard c. Malcolm Fraser 6. Jim Stynes won a Brownlow Medal in: a. 1991 b. 1989 c. 1986 7. The Long Walk charity was inspired by: a. Jim Stynes b. Michael Long c. Jill Lindsay 8. Majak Daw s family were refugees from: a. Afghanistan b. Sudan c. Iraq 9. Jill Lindsay had which of the following named after her? a. A scholarship b. A medal c. AFL House d. A football ground 10. Majak Daw became the first Sudanese Australian to: a. Arrive in Australia b. Be drafted to an AFL club c. Become a member of parliament d. Play cricket for Australia 11. What do you think makes Michael Long a good leader? Page 4 of 6
12. Complete the following Venn diagrams. Identify the attributes they have in common and those that are unique to each individual. Michael Long Jim Stynes Jill Lindsay Majak Daw Bachar Houli Sam Mostyn Page 5 of 6
Fill in the gaps Use the words in the box below to fill in the gaps in the passage. A great leader often has to think about other people before they think of themselves. Leaders often by being good and showing in their work with other people (like Michael Long). They are able to take for other people and to their teammates to do their very best. Often they have to show great and (like 'Jill Lindsay) and others to try their hardest to get great results and find. Jim Stynes did this when he was president of Melbourne. Other leaders like Majak Daw show us that hard work and will help us to succeed. encourage listeners skill determination bravery succeed inspire success maturity responsibility Leadership Word Find Y V E W S X U F B Y X G G B U A T O G C K C I V X N K N I D C R I N A U I M F I Y I O W D K S W L H R T L G F R N I U C I Y B C I C U A L K E S T V L W F E L E B R O K K V P A Q W M Z U P I U I I C S A I N R B U U S H O S V S K Q R R I X L G E M C T C T I N J B I M N P R F N P R U N E U O M N R F U L E Z R W D Z D N D P G E W H C A R I N G U J Q I Y S T H A A Q P E R S I S T E N C E P R T U S Y T I R U T A M G D R D B S A G A M V Z P I Q V R R H BRAVERY CARING COURAGE DETERMINATION ENCOURAGING HARD INSPIRING KINDNESS LISTENING MATURITY PERSISTENCE RESPECT RESPONSIBILITY SKILL WORK Leadership Words Choose five of the words listed in the Word Find in this lesson. In your workbooks, write a paragraph about someone you know who has displayed that quality. You might like to draw a picture of that person or a symbol that represents each of those qualities. For example, if you choose the word persistence, your sentence might be, My brother was very persistent when learning how to kick a football. Now he can kick the ball straight to me. Student Name Page 6 of 6