Celebrating Arthur Beetson

Dec 16, 2023

Celebrating Arthur Beetson

This Doodle celebrates Indigenous Australian rugby league captain and coach Arthur Beetson, who is widely considered one of the greatest players in rugby history.

This Doodle’s Key Themes

Rugby
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About the Doodle:

Celebrating Arthur Beetson

On this day in 1973, he became the first Indigenous person to captain a mainstream Australian sports team.

About the Doodle:

Beetson was born in Roma, Queensland in 1945 which is traditionally known as Gubbi Gubbi Country. His mother, a survivor of the Stolen Generation, was taken from her parents at 11 years old and forced to work as a domestic servant. Fearing that her children would suffer the same fate, she often hid Beetson and his siblings whenever a stranger’s car came close to their home.

Beetson fell in love with football as a child, and at 19, he was recruited to play for the Redcliffe Dolphins. Soon after, Redcliffe won the Brisbane premiership and Beetson was named club player of the year in 1965.

In 1973, when Beetson was appointed captain of the Kangaroos, the Australia National Rugby League team, it was a watershed moment for Indigenous representation: The government had only begun to recognize Indigenous people as Australian citizens six years earlier. Up until then, Indigenous communities were largely excluded from Australian society.

Beetson captained the Kangaroos to victory at the 1975 World Series, cementing his legacy as one of the greatest players and leaders in Australian rugby league history. He continued to break new grounds throughout his four-decade career by playing in 14 test matches, four victorious World Club campaigns, 20 interstate matches, and 222 New South Wales Rugby League first-grade games. He also went on to coach for the Eastern Suburbs, Australia, Queensland, the Redcliffe Dolphins, and the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. In 2003, Beetson was inducted into the Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame and added to the list of Immortals.

Thank you, Arthur Beetson, for helping level the playing field for Indigenous representation and being a sporting icon for all Australians.

Illustration of the letter G with a rugby player holding a rugby ball
About Arthur Beetson

About the Arthur Beetson Doodle

This Doodle, illustrated by NSW-based guest artist Blak Douglas, celebrates one of the greatest rugby league players of all time: Arthur Beetson. Beetson was known for his exceptional ball-handling skills that redefined rugby league standards and changed how athletes today play the game.

Making the Doodle

About the Guest Artist

Photograph of a man with light skin and dark hair who has his arms crossed. The man is smiling wearing overalls.

This Doodle was illustrated by NSW-based guest artist Blak Douglas. Below, he shares his thoughts behind the making of this Doodle:

Where this Doodle appeared

The Doodle Celebrating Arthur Beetson launched Dec 16, 2023

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