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History
As of 1 January, 1996 there have only been 7 Aborigines to
represent at the national level Lloyd McDermott, Mark Ella, Glen Ella,
Gary Ella, Lloyd Walker, Andrew Walker and James Williams. Compared with
the vast numbers who have represented in Rugby League and AFL
In 1991 a group of concerned Rugby enthusiasts took the attitude
that this scenario needed to change. It was agreed that the major aim was
to bring about a change in the number of young Aboriginal men ( years 10,
11 & 12 ) participating in the sport of Rugby Union. A trust was established
called the Lloyd McDermott Rugby Development Trust (LMRDT) to further the
above aspirations. The Trust set about to conduct on an annual basis a
Rugby training camp to expose potential players to the requisite skills
and fitness required at a senior level. At the first ever camp at the
Army Barracks North Head near Manly Sydney we had 15 players attend.
A number of changes and developments have taken place since those
embryonic stages, mainly an acceptance by young Aboriginal players. The
program is now wide spread and involves 100’s of players each year. From
Darwin to Melbourne young Aboriginal boys and girls are participating in
our activities. One interesting statistic is that in 2005 over 500 U16
year old boys played in our events.
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