Walyalup Indigenous jumper designer Jeff Farmer has said that being involved in the creation of his jumper will help pass on knowledge and stories of Indigenous culture in the Great Southern for generations to come.

Reflecting on the past 12 months of developing the design - with input from his Father, Jeff Farmer Snr, and his Mother, Iris, in collaboration with Roger Hayden - Farmer said it was especially meaningful to involve his family.

“Obviously it’s my football journey, but I wouldn’t have been able to do what I did without my mum and dad’s support,” Farmer said.

“They gave up a lot to help raise my sister and me, and whatever dreams we had, they did everything they possibly could. They sacrificed whatever they needed to so our dreams could come true.”

Utilising his parents’ knowledge to help convey a deep, lasting connection to the land, Farmer said that passing on this knowledge to future generations brings power and a sense of purpose.

“We’ve got the oldest living culture on our back doorstep with Indigenous culture, so it doesn’t matter if you’re Indigenous or non-Indigenous - we learn so much about the history of other countries, and this is still almost untapped,” Farmer said.

“My mum is still very heavily involved in the culture and is highly respected in the community, particularly in language.

“She tried to teach me when I was a young kid, and I said, ‘Mum, who am I going to talk to?’ It’s rare to find young people who know the language.

“I sort of kick myself now, because of the way it’s come back, and how the elders are passing on the stories and all our history and culture to the young ones - it keeps our culture alive.

“It gives young people a sense of pride, a sense of identity, and ownership.”

Jeff Farmer Snr emphasised the significance of the waterways represented on the jumper and how pivotal they were to Indigenous people living in the Great Southern throughout history.

“The freshwater source is what everyone used - you lived by the freshwater sources,” Farmer Snr said.

“We relied on them for hunting, camping sites, fishing, and all that.”

Reflecting on his son’s journey to the AFL, he said Saturday would be an honour, watching Walyalup don their Indigenous jumper in the Sir Doug Nicholls Round meeting with Yartapuulti (Port Adelaide).

“Jeffrey was a kid whose dream was to play AFL football,” Farmer Snr said.

“He slept with a footy. He’d be up at this oval here, training himself, running around, kicking, and playing with all his cousins - doing match simulation stuff.

“It was moving, seeing my boy get what he had always wanted - like any other young bloke who wants to play AFL.

“I grew up here in Tambellup, played footy here in Tambellup.

“It will be an honour to see this.”