Netball WA is standing behind West Australian athlete and Noongar woman Donnell Wallam after she was sent a letter containing racist abuse.
The Australian Diamonds sharpshooter and 2023 Sportsperson of the Year posted the letter to her Instagram account on Thursday, saying while she was “beyond disgusted and hurt” she would never stop advocating for First Nations people.
Australian Diamonds and Queensland Firebirds player Donnell Wallam says she was disgusted and hurt by a racist letter sent to her this week.Credit: Getty
The letter from “Mary” attacked the then-Queensland Firebirds rookie for her resistance in 2022 to wearing the Hancock Prospecting logo on her uniform.
That resistance followed Netball Australia announcing a $15 million sponsorship deal with the iron ore giant founded by the late Lang Hancock, who proposed in 1984 that some Indigenous people be sterilised to “breed themselves out”.
Mary began with “I am writing to you to express my sadness that your cost the Australian Diamonds, of $15,000,000, caused by your radically influenced comments about Gina Rinehart’s father, Lang Hancock,” she wrote.
“Mr Hancock’s comments about serialisation of Aboriginals was disgusting and made by one man. However, at the time his daughter was not yet born as you were not yet born.
“You were influenced by the nasty activist Aboriginal clique that hates everything Australia.”
The abuse continues and escalates, but this masthead has chosen not to repeat what was said.
“Mrs Reinhart generously donated millions of dollars to Australian Netball and you in your ignorance, sent it over the cliff. A disgraceful behaviour, not thought out, and brought on by the radical Aboriginal left.”
The letter ended with a bastardised Acknowledgement of Country that paid respect to “British and European elders past and present”.
Netball WA chief executive Simone Hansen said the community supported Wallam and applauded her strength.
“No one should be subjected to the type of abuse that Donnell has received,” Hansen said.
“We are appalled that this type of behaviour still continues in our community, and it needs to be called out as part of a critical step to stopping the abuse.
“Netball WA joins Netball Australia and Netball Queensland in having a zero tolerance of racism and all forms of personal abuse.”
Wallam began her netball career in Western Australia playing GIG WANL and also as a West Coast Fever Training Partner.
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