Canberra Oval Returns to Indigenous Control After 40 Years

When Kim Davison's wedding reception venue fell through, Boomanulla Oval became her backup plan and created a memory she'll never forget.

That's the kind of place Boomanulla Oval has been for Indigenous Canberrans since the 1980s. More than just grass and goalposts, it's where community gathers for NAIDOC celebrations, football games, mentoring programs, funerals, and yes, even last-minute weddings.

Now, after three election cycles of promises, the oval is finally on track to return to Indigenous community control by 2027. A new committee met recently to oversee the transition, marking real progress on a commitment first made back in 2016.

The oval's history runs deep. In 1984, Charlie Perkins, then federal secretary of Aboriginal affairs, granted the lease to the Indigenous community. It became the first asset ever handed over to Aboriginal people in the Australian Capital Territory.

"It's more than an oval, it's a cultural and sporting centre," said committee co-chair Kim Davison. The Aboriginal Corporation for Sport and Recreation Activities managed the site until financial troubles forced them to hand back control to the government, which has maintained it since.

Losing that control was heartbreaking for the community. "We just want Boomanulla's future to be shaped by the people who it belongs to," Davison said.

The Ripple Effect: Ngunnawal Elder Caroline Hughes, who sits on the committee, sees Boomanulla as a meeting place where generations connect. "When I think of Boomanulla Oval, I think of community, sitting with elders, listening to their stories and making sure they felt respected, valued and part of mob," she said.

The oval carries its Indigenous heritage in its name. Boomanulla honors a 1940s rugby league player for the Redfern All Blacks whose nickname meant "speed and lightning."

Minister for Sport and Recreation Yvette Berry acknowledged the long wait. The delay came down to finding consensus within the community about the path forward. "Some people might see it as just a sports field, but it's much more than that," Berry said.

The committee plans to consult the public and honor existing sporting commitments as they work toward the 2027 transfer. A cabinet proposal could arrive by year's end, turning decades of promises into action and returning a beloved community space to the people who call it home.