THE following is an excerpt from Aboriginal leader Mick Dodson's address to the Flying Boomerangs this week

In Sydney at the time of British invasion there were two Aboriginal elders who had quite different approaches to leadership.

One was Bennelong. The place where the Sydney Opera House is built is called Bennelong. Bennelong’s people bore the brunt of this influx of white fellas from ships from places they’d never even dreamed about or understood.

And they were there a couple of thousand of them and they had to deal with it. And he dealt with it by engagement, tried to carve out the best deal with his people by trying to work with the white people. And in initial times it was pretty good.

Then there was Pemulwuy, who came about the west. He had a totally different approach. He fought the white man. He ran a guerrilla war against them. He didn’t want engagement. He was affronted by this invasion, and rallied his warriors to fight the white people.

Both of those men showed leadership in various ways and that legacy remains today.

Addressing indigenous players comprising the 2008 Flying Boomerangs, Aboriginal leader and professor of law Mick Dodson asked the group of 15 and 16-year-olds to think about the footprint they will leave for future generations.

Indigenous communities of yesteryear stood on the shoulders of those who had come before them – like Bennelong and Pemulway – in developing their own leadership styles. More recently, indigenous footballers have become those to show the way for younger generations.

“You’re around because of people like Polly Farmer, like Syd Jackson, Jimmy Krakouer, Maurice Rioli, Michael Long,” Dodson told the group.

“Don’t ever forget that. They’re the blokes who did the hard stuff to break in.”

In Mick Dodson’s day, the football field was a vastly different social landscape.

“I can’t remember too many games where I didn’t get [racially] sledged,” he said.

But Dodson, who played during the 1970s, captaining a Victorian Aboriginal side as well as playing in the country and the VFA’s second division, had strategies for dealing with racism directed at him.

“Oxygen costs nothing. Keep your composure. You’ll find in the long run that’s the way to pull the rug from under them,” he said.

“When they started using those tactics, you knew absolutely you were playing well. It spurred me on a bit.”

As part of the Flying Boomerangs leadership program in Melbourne this week, the indigenous leaders of tomorrow are learning about the responsibilities of being a modern-day role model.

Dodson’s broad perspective on what leadership is has helped illustrate how personal qualities translate to the football field, and from football into life: “He [the leader] always makes the tackle, he’s always in the shepherd, he’s always there,” he told the 25 teenagers.

“That’s what reliability’s about. That’s what leaders do.”

And regardless of your place within a team – on the bench, at the massage table, running the water or behind the bar – everyone forms their own sense of leadership.

“They’re all leaders in their own right – or ought to be if the team’s going to be successful.”

Most of the Flying Boomerangs will be striving for selection in the 2010 NAB AFL Draft. But the leadership program aims to help them discover the attributes that will help them beyond this next juncture in their lives.

“One of the important things I find is absolutely necessary for someone who aspires to be a leader is to understand the importance of events in history because that history shapes where we are today,” Dodson said.

“Even if it’s just a passing understanding, have an understanding – and know your own mob. They really ultimately define who you are.

“That’s your identity in the broader sense. Every one of us as an individual has an historical context that shapes our lives and identifies who we are.”

Dodson’s presentation prompted a variety of questions from the Flying Boomerangs, working within ‘mobs’ throughout the week and taking turns at being ‘daily leaders’ for the group.

Drawing on his own experiences – including  working with former Prime Minister Paul Keating on legislation surrounding the MABO decision, and on the inquiry recommending the apology given by current Prime Minister Kevin Rudd – Dodson’s parting advice drew from past regrets:

“Don’t ever sit back if something is wrong. Don’t stay silent. Raise your voice. Say something because that’s the way you’ll change behaviour. That’s the way you’ll engender respect and trust.