Netball WA wishes to congratulate 16 year old Lakeisha Whitby, on her unique and beautiful netball design for the 2022 NAIDOC Netball Carnival.
The unique NAIDOC Netball is proudly supported by the Insurance Commission of Western Australia to put the Belt Up message directly in the hands of NAIDOC Carnival participants.
Whitby is a proud Wongutha/Yamatji artist from the Goldfields region and participant of the Leonora Shooting Stars program, which is one of 15 Shooting Stars locations around WA.
She first heard of the ball design competition when she participated in last year’s NAIDOC Netball Carnival and was surprised when she heard that her design was chosen for 2022.
“I was really happy and surprised to have my design picked”
“The rainbow colours on the ball represent diversity and how Leonora Shooting Stars embraces all kids.”
“Bush foods sustain us and the Shooting Stars nourish our development”
“Brown campsites represent opportunity in other areas and the colourful dots represent the excitement we feel when we have opportunities”
“Aboriginal colours represent pride, strength and culture”
Whitby is an artist with a passion for Aboriginal Art. In her free time, she enjoys sewing and painting as well as designing baby blankets and bags. A talent for art runs in the family, Whitby tells us.
“I got my art skills from my grandma. She was really proud and surprised when she heard I won the competition.”
The NAIDOC Netball Carnival began in 2004 with only 20 teams registered. 18 years on and the competition has grown to accommodate over 110 teams from all over Western Australia.
On July 6, the 2022 Belt Up NAIDOC Netball will be used by over 1000 participants, Whitby included.
She is looking forward to participating in the 2022 NAIDOC Netball Carnival and seeing her ball in action.
“It will be pretty cool to see every team playing with my ball,” she said.
