By Sophie Taylor
“It was an eye-opener, how much I actually didn’t know about the game.”
Development opportunities can be hard to come by for pathways talent in rural communities.
But passion, commitment and a drive to improve have enabled Destinii Wailu, a Noongar/Yamatji woman hailing from Perth, to take the next steps in her umpiring career.
Namely, through the First Nations Tournament.
Now located in Karratha, a small rural city in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, Wailu is excited for another chance to umpire in a high-performance environment.
While Wailu played netball briefly during her childhood, it was a move back to her hometown of Karratha at age 19 that put umpiring on her radar.
“When I moved back up to Karratha I started playing again, and as part of that someone from the team had to umpire the time slot before or after your game,” she explained.
“We had a roster, so I had to umpire.
“Tara Beattie walked alongside me, because it was the first game I'd ever done, I didn't even really know the rules that well.”
Since then, Wailu has continued her development and is now the umpire coordinator at Blades Netball Club at the Karratha Netball Association.
“In the netball scene I’m committed and really driven, I just want to keep getting better,” she said.
“I did the Fever In Time (Academy Umpire Program) three or four years ago, which was a great opportunity as well. I've been steadily trying to hone it and improve and get better and better as I go.”
Being at a rural association has its challenges.
“Development wise, there is a lot more focus on youth,” she said.
“We don't have the same access to top-quality coaches and top-quality umpires and mentors. We can only really teach what we know.
“So when we go down to Perth, they're a whole level above us.”
Competitions such as the North West Regional Championships provide crucial development opportunities for players and umpires alike.
Wailu achieved her National B Badge at last year’s competition and says continued support at such events are crucial to providing a pathway.
“We're getting there, and we do get recognition,” she said.
“One of our junior umpires is in the Fever In Time Program this year so that's awesome to see, but when you think about it, it's just one person from the Pilbara selected.”
While Wailu is somewhat disconnected from her First Nations roots, living away from Perth where her family’s heritage lies, her background is an important link between her family roots and where she is today.
“My pop was in the ‘we need to fit in’ kind of generation,” Wailu explained.
“But my uncle Dennis, he did a lot of cultural stuff with us when we were younger, like nine to 10 years old.
“He did a lot of cultural stuff with us, but because he's male, he couldn't really teach us the female things. So we observed a lot of the cultural stuff and he’d take us out bush, and we'd go camping and talk about like the lore and the land.”
Wailu is proud to represent her heritage and her region at the First Nations Tournament for a second time in 2025.
“It was quite a big deal for me last year, it was a real proud moment,” she said.
“I’m glad I’m getting the opportunity to do it again, it makes me feel like I did a good job and like they liked what they saw last year.”
She acknowledged that there’s been a lot of growth in the tournament between year one and year two.
“It's a bit different this year than it was last year,” she said.
“It's a lot longer, so I've been trying to stay on top of my recovery and fitness because I know it's going to be a bit more intense.”
Wailu is looking forward to getting to know the team in white better this year after being heavily involved in WA’s team environment in 2024.
And excitingly, she isn’t the only WA umpire selected for this year’s edition. A very familiar face is joining her on the sidelines: her former mentor, Tara Beattie.
“There’s two of us (umpires) from WA this year, which is really cool too, Tara mentored me in my very first game,” she said.
“All the umpires are going to be staying together this year, which is great because in my mind, we're a team as well.
“Bonding and getting to know each other is really important.”
Wailu admits she hasn’t really publicised her selection for this year’s tournament.
“Maybe I should put it out there a little bit,” she laughed.
“I haven't really put it out there that I'm going over to umpire again, maybe to a few other umpires.
“It means a lot though, I'm blessed that I've got the opportunity to umpire such a big competition for us as First Nations people in Melbourne.
“My netball club and the netball association will be quite proud of me, they'll definitely have my back and cheer me on.”
