11 June 2019

Ash Barty's regional connections: the Ngarigo woman following Evonne Goolagong's footsteps

| Genevieve Jacobs
Join the conversation
14

Ash Barty with the French Open trophy after her win. Photo: Twitter.

As Australians everywhere celebrated a cool, calm and collected but absolutely thrilling French Open win for Ash Barty on the weekend, many commentators noted that she is the second Aboriginal woman to win a Grand Slam title, following in the footsteps of Evonne Goolagong.

But few have realised that the Ipswich raised Barty, in fact, has a connection with southeastern NSW and the High Country stretching through to Gippsland. Through her father, she claims Ngarigo ancestry from the people of the Monaro and High Plains and has spoken about valuing and re-connecting with her heritage.

Barty’s great grandmother was a Ngarigo woman and she told journalist Konrad Marshall in 2017 that her heritage was “really important to me. I’ve always had that olive complexion and the squished nose, and I just think it’s important to do the best I can to be a good role model.”

In 2017, Barty was Sportswoman of the Year in the National Dreamtime Awards, and in 2018 was named National Indigenous Tennis Ambassador and won the Newcombe Medal, the highest honour in Australian tennis.

Her story echoes that of Wiradjuri woman Evonne Goolagong Cawley. As a child, the prodigiously talented Barty used an old wooden tennis racquet she’d found in the family garage to hit a tennis ball endlessly against the house wall after school.

Goolagong Cawley famously first honed her Grand Slam winning skills with a wooden bat and a tennis ball, using the corrugated iron on the family water tank in her western NSW hometown of Barellan to vary the return angle. Her father had cut the wooden bat from a milk crate and Goolagong still carries it with her to show that determination and practice are the best routes to success.

The legendary Australian player has been an important mentor to Barty in the intervening years and the young star has acknowledged how important that relationship has been in the wake of her French Open title. When Barty was burned out in 2014 and ready to give up on her tennis career, she says that her mentor backed the decision to take a break and re-direct her energies.

Goolagong Cawley sent a text suggesting that Barty take a break, re-set her mind and, in her words, “Go and wet a line.” Barty took time off to play cricket before returning to tennis three years ago, ranked at 623rd in the world. After her victory this weekend, she is now the world Number Two.

Barty’s success at the Open was celebrated by the Aboriginal community, including messages of heartfelt support from Cathy Freeman, Nova Peris and Professor Marcia Langton. And after the win at Roland Garros, she acknowledged Goolagong Cawley’s powerful influence both as a personal mentor and an inspiration to generations of Aboriginal kids, creating a path for indigenous tennis.

Barty told Tennis Australia in a recent interview that her family is “very proud of our Ngarigo tribe,”

“I’m an extremely proud Indigenous woman and being able to travel the world and show off my heritage in a way and show off that I’m a true blue Aussie, as true as they come, is pretty amazing.”

Original Article published by Genevieve Jacobs on The RiotACT.

Join the conversation

14
All Comments
  • All Comments
  • Website Comments
LatestOldest

So what is her part aboriginal great grandmothers name?

Christine hutton12:59 pm 24 Jan 22

What percentage of indiginous blood is Ash Barty?

I find these last comments of Ash’s very sad for the rest of us non so called “indigenous “ people who have been here for generations. We also consider
ourselves true blue Aussies.

Graeme Edwards11:21 am 12 Jul 21

Ash,s Great Grandmother was Part Aboriginal . Why isnt she as proud of her white Grt Grandparents on her mother’s family .

I don’t play tennis but I think it is exceptional that someone only 23 can achieve something so great.

milroy martyn10:25 pm 22 Jan 20

fantastic that aboriginal persons take pride in their heritage and this heritage is australias heritage we have forgotten the original people of australia and from time to time a few achieve greatness and i believe Ash Barty should be accorded the title of the great australian of the year.
i wish ash baty a long spell of winnings. i hope she will continue to be herself and be nourished by the natural sources of energy which isperhaps
the aboriginal genetic make up of Ash
Ash my dear i am so proud of your achievements

Daily Digest

Do you like to know what’s happening around your region? Every day the About Regional team packages up our most popular stories and sends them straight to your inbox for free. Sign-up now for trusted local news that will never be behind a paywall.

By submitting your email address you are agreeing to Region Group's terms and conditions and privacy policy.