Activist behind Goodes’s war dance named as Recognise co-chair

The man responsible for developing Adam Goodes’s onfield war dance will anchor ‘a final push’ towards recognition.

Mark Yettica-Paulson has been named as Recognise co-chair. Picture: Adam Yip

The activist responsible for ­developing footballer Adam Goodes’s fierce on-field war dance will anchor “a final push” towards indigenous recognition.

Mark Yettica-Paulson joins former Labor campaigner Tim Gartrell as Recognise co-chairman, replacing Tanya Hosch after her departure to the AFL.

A trained theologian, Mr Yettica-Paulson has been for years an activist and corporate campaigner for indigenous rights, including as an ambassador for Recognise, the government-funded campaign for constitutional change.

He was accompanying a 2009 AFL indigenous teenage development squad that, heading to Papua New Guinea to play a ­national team that already had a symbolic on-field dance ritual, he realised it would need its own fearsome display.

He helped the players ­develop one based on their indigenous identities. A year later the junior squad taught its dance to the Indigenous All Stars team at its training camp. Goodes was stunned, history was set in ­motion and it ­became a signature move of the Swans star.

Mr Yettica-Paulson said ­yesterday he expected history to similarly be made by a ­referendum on constitutional change, even though the hoped-for date of next May, to mark the 50th anniversary of the vote on full indigenous citizenship, had effectively been missed.

Tony Abbott declared two years ago that he saw May 27, 2017, as an ideal date for a vote but the 16-member referendum council, appointed to advise government on plans for change, ­recently said it needed more time. Mr Yettica-Paulson said he viewed the delay as a chance to crystallise support and was ­“absolutely certain” a referendum could still be held in the lifetime of this parliament.

“The 50th anniversary is still going to remain an important moral moment,” he said. “I have to say this period feels like a final push, we’ve got the referendum council gearing up to make its recommendations, I see the political activism on this around the country, I’ve got that fresh ­energy and I really don’t see this next 18 months as marking time but as getting it over the line.”