How Parker leads beyond the court

By Stephanie Smarrelli
 

Captain of Lutruwita’s (Tasmania’s) First Nations Tournament team, Bellah Parker is making history in more ways than one.  
 
The Proud Paredarerme woman hails from the Tasman Peninsula, where her biggest challenge wasn’t sport but distance.  

“Growing up in a rural town, you're an hour and a half or two hours away from where everything happens,” she said. 
 
“My family had to make the decision of moving and splitting us up so I could pursue sport. 

“That was the hardest part, not growing up together.”  
 
Parker and her mum moved to Sorell as she was finishing Year Five at school, leaving her older brother and father at home. 
 
“When you've got sport on the weekends it starts to become a pattern, you see less of each other,” she said. 
 
“It wasn’t a typical upbringing where you all grow up together and live in the same house. 

“I was very young, and my parents sacrificed their own lives for me.” 

Now 19, Parker played a key role in Lutruwita’s (Tasmania’s) bronze medal victory at the First Nations Tournament in August.  
 
“It was amazing to win, but it’s hard to describe how it felt,” she said. 
 
“I don’t think Tassie’s ever won a medal and the last time we got into a bronze medal game was in 1998 which we lost by a significant number of points. 

“To make history in a way, that’s cool. 

“We’re always playing for seventh or eighth so to get to where we were, believe in ourselves and come away with bronze is pretty surreal.”  

Reflecting on representing her state, Parker confessed she feels they're often underestimated. 

“For years, Tasmanian teams have been underestimated, there’s just an assumption,” she said. 

"It was nice getting to the back end of the First Nations Tournament and teams were putting their strongest starting lineup against us. 

“We were actually a threat to them, it made us realise we were playing well, and we were affecting games.”  

Away from the court, Parker stays deeply connected to her culture. 
 
She works in an Indigenous program with St Mary’s College where she helps keep traditions alive through cultural activities such as shell collecting. 

“Shell collecting is a big thing for First Nations women in Tasmania,” she said. 
 
“It’s huge for me, identifying as a female, it’s a special activity for women that dates back years.  

"The idea of it for me is shells are something you collect and you can always have.  
 
"Memories aren’t huge but shells are a practical thing you can carry with you, they remind you of how you got there, who you went with and what it means to you and your culture.”  

Parker’s work has become an integral part of who she is as well as those around her who benefit from the knowledge she’s gained.  

“We engage in cultural practices that everyday kids who identify as First Nations don't always have the opportunity to take part in,” she said. 

“My work allows me to use what I’ve learned to educate my family but also feel more connected. 

“You don't quite understand it or feel spiritually connected until you have the knowledge behind it. 

“That's where it started for me and it's huge for not only myself, but my family to have that education from me as well.” 

It meant everything to the goaler to be able to represent her culture at the First Nations Tournament. 

Not just on a personal level but because of what the tournament represents as a whole. 

“It's huge because only a few of our players are in the state pathway and went to Nationals,” she said. 

“It gave an opportunity to the players who haven't been recognised in that way or may not quite be up to a Nationals’ level.  

“It allows them to have something they know is within reach for them in the sport. 
 
 “And it's different because it's full of culture and friendship compared to Nationals where the focus is just netball.”  

While making an impact on the court, Parker confessed netball wasn’t always her bread and butter. 

“It wasn’t until I was 14 or 15 that I started playing netball,” she said. 
 
“I played a lot of sports growing up, particularly basketball and footy. 
 
“A lot of my friends were doing cross code sports, they encouraged me to try netball, and I’ve gone from there.” 

Parker has moved through Tasmania’s netball pathway but admits she hasn’t fully closed the door on another sport. 

“I played footy at a high level, so I went down that pathway and chose to focus on that more for a bit,” she said. 

“But I’ve always played netball at a State League level and that kept me on the radar of netball selectors.” 

With AFL’s plans to expand into Tasmania, Parker finds herself with a tough decision to make. 

She’s excited by the opportunity AFL will bring to the region but isn’t sure whether that is a direction she wants to take. 

“It's tricky because we're hopefully getting our own AFL and AFLW teams in the next few years and that comes with the equivalent of VFL and VFLW,” she said. 

“In terms of opportunities netball has a lot but to be able to play in a league and be within a 30-minute drive of home that makes footy a bit more accessible to me and the goal isn’t that far away.  

“But I love netball so much, I'm not about to quit and focus on footy but there's a thought process I’ll need to have. 

"I've had a few years away from footy, so I don't know how I would come back to it and whether it's something I would still love to do.” 

With an important decision weighing on the back of her mind, Parker makes sure she finds time to relax every day. 
 
“I love fishing, camping and adventuring,” she said. 
 
“Growing up on the Tasman Peninsula, life for me was on land, at the beach in a quite rural community.  

 “I’m in this chaotic zone all the time with work and sport. 
 
"Every afternoon, I take time to enjoy what I do in nature and really connect to that mindfulness. 

“It's a nice way to take a break from life and how hectic it is and just do what I love.”