Lacey Faulkner is not your average 16-year-old Kiosk Assistant at Copper Coast Sport & Leisure Centre in South Australia. Lacey possesses remarkable talent, drawing on her First Nations heritage to design a striking football guernsey design worn by the local Kadina Football Club during the Indigenous round.

The design, rich in cultural significance, has been embraced by the local football club. “This Guernsey isn’t just clothing, it’s a symbol of unity, culture and community spirit,” Lacey explained.

Lacey’s dad, Cameron, sporting the Guernsey above.

“The Guernsey represents a meeting place for family to gather. It also depicts the journeys that we travel together over short distances to play our sport and the different landscapes and terrain we travel through and play on.

“The concentric circles and the curved ‘u’ shapes represent the meeting place for family and the club. The circles connected by lines indicate the small journeys and the patterns surrounding them indicate and show the different landscapes. 

“There are a few animal tracks on the back of this design, the first being lizard tracks; these tracks were chosen for this design because Kadina is located on lizard planes. The next tracks chosen were dingo tracks to symbolise the logo of Kadina Football and Netball Club and lastly added to the design were emu tracks, animals that can be found in the area,” Lacey explained.

Such was the impact of the guernsey that Kadina Football Club also purchased one for each player in their junior teams to wear during training.

Lacey’s talents don’t stop there, winning a competition to design the guernsey worn by Kadina Memorial School. As displayed by Lacey in the above image “The guernsey’s front features a butterfish, symbolising the Nharangga People, who are often referred to as the Butterfish Mob due to the traditional significance of hunting this plentiful food source. 

“The squiggly line and yellow dots on the front represent the coastline and beach, further emphasising the connection to the land and proximity to water on the peninsula.

“The back of the Guernsey tells a story of unity and diversity. It illustrates people from various cultures, religions and backgrounds coming together under the same sun, represented by a symbol at the top. The year 2024 is marked prominently, along with a central meeting place symbolising the school where students from different backgrounds converge. Surrounding patterns represent the diversity and distances students travel from their homes to the school, highlighting the connections and community spirit,” Lacey explained.

With her parent’s support, Lacey has also played a crucial role in informing the planning for Belgravia Leisure’s Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). Her insights and dedication to her heritage have been invaluable in shaping a more inclusive and culturally aware organisation.

Lacey’s journey of learning about her culture and contributing to her community and workplace has been inspirational. “I am still learning about my culture and don’t have all the answers, but I’m glad I could support the community and Belgravia Leisure wherever I can.”

Venue Manager Giles Ellis praised Lacey, stating, “Lacey’s contributions have been invaluable. Her dedication to her culture and community has brought a deeper understanding and appreciation of First Nations heritage to our team and the greater Belgravia Group”.

Belgravia Leisure is honoured to have Lacey Faulkner as part of our team and looks forward to her continued contributions to fostering a more inclusive and culturally enriched workplace.

• Explore our career opportunities.
• Learn more about our people.