Indigenous Australian Diamonds netball star Donell Wallam reveals family secret that spurred her on

Aussie netballer Donnell Wallam has spoken out about the Netball Australia sponsorship saga that made national headlines last year, revealing that her dad was part of the Stolen Generation.

Wallam, 29, sparked a firestorm last October when it was revealed she was uncomfortable with wearing the Diamonds jersey with the Hancock Prospecting logo on it over racist comments made by Mrs Rinehart’s father, Lang Hancock, almost four decades ago.

Her team-mates backed her boycott call and the furious backlash saw Mrs Rinehart, 69, pull out of the $15m deal, sparking a financial crisis for Netball Australia.

The third Indigenous player to represent Australia, Wallam scored the winning goal on debut against England at the height of the row.

Targeted online by trolls, Wallam has now spoken of the toll the sponsorship fiasco had on her.

Wallam was the Indigenous netball player at the centre of the fallout between Netball Australia and Gina Rinehart last year

‘It was really difficult,’ Wallam told News Corp.

‘I’m just so grateful that the girls in the Diamonds environment and the staff all had my back.

‘We were kind of in a bubble, so we tried to block out as much (noise) as we could, even though there was so much out there.

‘The one thing I learnt from that is to always back yourself and stand by what you believe in and that’s something that I’ll always do because first and foremost, I’m a human and I’ve got values and I’ve got a life outside of netball.

‘So if I’m not true to myself, then I’m not the best netballer I can be.’

A proud Noongar woman from Western Australia, Wallam is determined to be a role model for Indigenous Aussies and play a part in the conversation about the treatment of her people.

Mrs Rinehart pulled out of the $15m deal, sparking a financial crisis for Netball Australia

Wallam said the sponsorship fiasco took a toll on her, but she’s glad she stood by her values

‘My dad was part of the Stolen Generation,’ Wallam said.

‘So it hits home when stuff like (Lang Hancock’s comments) are out there. I’m always going to be an advocate for my family and my mob.

‘If I’m not stepping up and having that conversation, then it’s going to be on the next person that comes through and we want to be making our pathways and netball environments an easier place and more enjoyable place for First Nations athletes.

‘And if that’s me, then I’ll take on that load for the next generation to come.

‘I hope that when we do look back on it in the future that we’ve learned something from it. That’s the main thing.’