A young woman has been left questioning why she is forced to take part in a Welcome to Country before each Pilates class.
Loren Barry, who is a producer at Triple M, said she didn’t understand why her exercise sessions had to begin with the ceremony.
Barry was quick to point out she was supportive of the Welcome to Country – but questioned their frequency.
‘I’m all for the Welcome to Country,’ she said.
‘But I think that, when you’ve got the same people in the classes everyday, you’ve been welcomed.’
2GB host Ben Fordham was left stunned after hearing about her story on Friday, arguing they had ‘lost all meaning’.
‘I’m convinced that in a few years from now organisations will be dropping this tradition because they’ve flogged it so hard that it’s lost all meaning,’ he said.
‘Now, if it’s the first day of parliament of the year, do the welcome.
Radio producer Loren Barry said she’s ‘all for welcome to countries’, but didn’t understand why a Pilates class needed one
‘I think that, when you’ve got the same people in the classes everyday, you’ve been welcomed’ she said.
‘If you’ve got a special gathering happening, sure, go right ahead, do the welcome.
‘But, we don’t need every speech to have one, we don’t need a welcome at the start of a zoom meeting, and having the welcome to country at the start of a Pilates class? Well, that’s just bizarre.’
Fordham argued Australians should not be afraid about sharing their thoughts about the ceremonies.
‘We should be allowed to say it, the obsession of the welcome has become a bit of an open joke,’ he said.
‘And, let’s be fair dinkum, it’s sometimes a bit of a chore.’
His comments come as the frequency of Welcome to Country ceremonies comes under the spotlight.
Two Welcome to Country ceremonies were performed at separate AFL matches throughout September – with both of them dividing fans.
The first was held at the GWS Giants and Brisbane Lions semifinal on September 14 – while the second was delivered at the Sydney Swans and Brisbane Lions Grand Final on Saturday.
Uncle Colin Hunter hosted the ceremony at the MCG over the weekend with most fans cheering – however pockets of boos were also heard.
Fordham revealed his vehement distaste for the practices, saying they ‘suck the tension out of the air’.
Uncle Colin Hunter’s Welcome to the AFL Grand Final was widely praised but Ben Fordham said the practice is a ‘mood killer’ at sporting events
‘It’s a mood killer,’ he said.
‘Players run out onto the ground, the crowd roars, tension fills the stadium and then you know what happens – we’ve all seen it – you cop a speech that has nothing to do with football.
‘All it does is highlight a difference instead of saying, we’re all one mob at the footy,’ he said.
AFL boss Andrew Dillon vowed that the Welcome to Country ceremonies were here to stay.
‘We will continue to do it, the Welcome to Country is for everyone,’ he said.
‘We are a sport that is inclusive, and we believe it sets the tone for the game. It serves the game well, so we will continue to do that.’
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