At the Australian Cricket Awards in January this year, Ashleigh Gardner walked away with two awards – the Belinda Clark Medal for being the leading women’s cricketer in the country and the Community Impact award that recognised her work towards empowering Indigenous kids. 

Gardner, a proud Muruwari woman, was in Melbourne on Tuesday for the launch of Cricket Australia’s third Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) that will see her foundation supported by the governing body to deliver its breakfast and play program for Indigenous kids in rural areas.

Through the RAP, CA aims to deepen its engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and ensure cricket is an inclusive sport for all.

Partnering with the Ashleigh Gardner Foundation (AGF) is one way CA will work to create more opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to participate in cricket. The National Indigenous Cricket Training Camp, which is currently taking place at the MCG, is another avenue alongside the National Indigenous Cricket Championships which travels to Mackay for the first time next year.

Speaking to cricket.com.au at the launch, Gardner highlighted the benefits of the conversations and transfer of knowledge having a RAP can bring.

“I think for any organisation that’s got a RAP, it keeps them accountable to living up to what they’re speaking about and for them to have two-way relationships with different Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations,” the allrounder said.

“(It’s about) being able to live up to and celebrate and expand on people’s knowledge around the culture and just making people, I guess, a bit more vulnerable in asking questions and wanting to know more to educate themselves to ultimately pass on those positive messages, which is, I think, really important in this country moving forward.”

Gardner launched her foundation in 2020, when she recognised that more Indigenous kids from schools in underprivileged and rural areas could benefit from having breakfast provided to help them finish their schooling. It was an area she thought she could have an impact in.

The foundation currently works with two schools in New South Wales, but Gardner is hoping to grow that reach.

“It’s been slow. I now know why people start foundations when they’re finished playing because it is quite stressful and obviously trying to do lots of other things within my life,” the 27-year-old said.

“For me, it’s being able to be a really good cricketer on the field and then having this off the field, which is super important for me, because cricket, or any sport, can be really consuming. I’m also studying … as well as trying to plan a wedding… so there’s a lot of things at the moment in my life.”

The collaboration under the RAP will help deliver a cricket program to five-to-12-year-old Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kids.

The new partnership has given Gardner a ‘pep in her step’ to keep expanding the work with her foundation.

Along with the hopes that the partnership can help the foundation grow faster, Gardner is also focused on ensuring some smaller but high-impact aspects of the programs are delivered.

CA chief executive Nick Hockley said cricket could be powerful in connecting communities. 

“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are integral to the Australian cricket story, past, present and future,” Hockley said. “We believe that cricket can be a powerful force to connect communities. We are dedicated to using our platform to bring people together, build understanding and promote respect.   

“As Australia’s national sport, cricket is uniquely positioned to advance Australia’s relationship with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, cultures and histories.”

Gardner believes that the tie-up of her foundation’s work with the primary school kids and CA’s aim to get more Indigenous kids playing cricket makes the collaboration a natural fit.

“A lot of kids don’t necessarily have the access to play cricket. It’s a tough sport and one that you either love or you don’t love, so hopefully we can encourage kids to step into the cricket world … and inspire them to think outside the box and want to try something different, which is exciting,” she said.

Only the second indigenous woman to play Test cricket for Australia, after Aunty Faith Thomas, Gardner has always been vocal about using her platform to make a difference in the community.

“I know that the legacy that I want to leave once I finish playing cricket is not necessarily what I was able to do on the field, but the impact that I could have offered,” she said.

“I think that’s a real driver for me, being able to influence people and to have that real positive change in the way that people think, sparking conversations. That’s certainly something that I always try and do.

“I’m always open to telling my story and to help educate those around me and for them to be comfortable in asking questions that maybe once upon a time they wouldn’t have been able to do.”

Gardner admits that while she never thought she would receive an award for her off-the-field impact, it was a huge honour for her to be recognised for her community work earlier in the year.

She is now looking forward to working with CA and Cricket New South Wales – two teams she is proud to play for – to create a positive change with the sport.

Apart from increasing participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in cricket, CA has also made a commitment towards increasing their engagement in the cricket workforce and growing awareness around indigenous cultures amongst its staff.

Cricket has a long history of connection with the Aboriginal peoples of Australia. In 1868, a team of Aboriginal Australians toured England to play cricket, becoming the first Australian sports team to travel overseas.

Increasing awareness around this connection and history is also part of the strategic plan under the ‘Stretch’ RAP.

CA’s National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cricket Advisory Group co-chair Justin Mohamed said cricket can remain as a sport for all with continued growth and learning.

“CA’s commitment to reconciliation is a testament to its dedication to creating a more inclusive sport. We are proud of the progress made so far, but we recognise this is a journey and there is more work to do,” Mohamed said, a Gooreng Gooreng man from Bundaberg in Queensland.

“By continuing to listen, lean and grow, we can ensure that cricket remains a sport that truly reflects the diversity and richness of Australian culture.”  

RAP Ambassadors, Gulidjan man Scott Boland and Kamilaroi woman Hannah Darlington were also engaged throughout the development and provided input into the plan’s artwork. Artist Ky-ya Nicholson Ward (Wurundjeri, Dja Dja Wurrung, Ngurai Illum Wurrung) was commissioned to create an original artwork for CA’s RAP.