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http://voice.unimelb.edu.au/volume-8/nu ... -its-place
Professor Damousi, a lifelong Colling-wood supporter, was on the other side of the fence to personally witness Nicky Winmar’s ultimately influential gesture on Saturday 17 April 1993.
“Sadly, the racist sentiments expressed by supporters that day were reinforced by club president Allan McAllister, who infamously averred that Aboriginal players were welcome at the club ‘as long as they conducted themselves as white people’,” says Professor Damousi. “Such sentiments were at odds with new developments on the national stage, and prompted mixed emotions on that day in April 1993.
“Some Collingwood supporters joined their St Kilda counterparts in cheering Nicky Winmar at the end of the game, but it was a very depressing moment for us, and as a supporter for over 40 years it was the lowest point in my barracking experience, and a very low point in the club’s history.
“There were discussions and disagreements breaking out within the crowd and this created a very tense atmosphere. So when Nicky Winmar pulled up his jumper and pointed at his chest it came as a relief because we could all just cheer him in celebration of the message he was trying to send out, and finally silence those racists in the crowd.
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