List Mgmt. Ben Amarfio - has resigned as our CEO - Thank you Ben

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Jun 9, 2001
37,651
145,098
Fogarty Street
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North Melbourne
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It's a disgrace that it occurred in the first place.

It just goes to show the priorities down there in recent times.

Spot on.

Takes me back to Eugene Arocca looking through a storeroom at Arden Street and finding premiership pendants rolled up and dusty like old junk.

Remember hearing he issued a "wtf" and made sure there was more respect of our history and culture.

For whatever reason things like the coffee cart have occurred since. I don't think this is related to politics but simply having people in leadership positions who didn't have the perspective to even understand committing such faux pas'.

Good to see it rectified.
 
Spot on.

Takes me back to Eugene Arocca looking through a storeroom at Arden Street and finding premiership pendants rolled up and dusty like old junk.

Remember hearing he issued a "wtf" and made sure there was more respect of our history and culture.

For whatever reason things like the coffee cart have occurred since. I don't think this is related to politics but simply having people in leadership positions who didn't have the perspective to even understand committing such faux pas'.

Good to see it rectified.

Like ex player Carl Dilena?
 

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Jun 9, 2001
37,651
145,098
Fogarty Street
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Other Teams
St Johnstone
Like ex player Carl Dilena?

I have no idea who green-lit the decision to stick a cart in front of the trophies but yes, if it was Carl Dilena AFL career notwithstanding then yes I'd say he didn't consider the symbolism of such a move.
 
I have no idea who green-lit the decision to stick a cart in front of the trophies but yes, if it was Carl Dilena AFL career notwithstanding then yes I'd say he didn't consider the symbolism of such a move.

I thought it was a shithouse move as a soon as I saw it.

But as I recall folks were sooking about the LACK of a coffee cart before, raised questions at an AGM about it etc etc.

So ONE read is the admin listened to the members and got the ******* thing in only to stuff it up and then have to get rid of it.
 

Kangaroo Cat

Club Legend
Jun 2, 2019
1,331
5,465
AFL Club
North Melbourne
geez he always projected such a strong image from what I've seen, the fact that he's had a lifetime of rising above what others tell him he is only makes me respect the guy more. I feel like an A hole for not thinking more about the adversity some have to go through to be successful, i grew up in south africa before, and after apartheid and i can only say that this stuff is relatively hidden in Australia, we need these stories to really understand perspective. Awesome to see the guys standing in unity over it too
 

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Kangaroo Cat

Club Legend
Jun 2, 2019
1,331
5,465
AFL Club
North Melbourne
North Melbne CEO Ben Amarfio opens up about the lifetime of racial abuse he has suffered
Ben Amarfio was 16 and had just broken his wrist when two elderly women told him to, ‘Go back to the jungle’. It is one horrible example in what has been a lifetime of racial abuse that has followed the North Melbourne CEO.
Michael Warner, Herald Sun
Subscriber only
|
June 19, 2020 12:50pm



FOXSPORTS1:42
'Brave' Lumumba receives support from ex-teammate
AFL: Former Magpies player Tony Armstrong has come to the defence of former teammate Heritier Lumumba following his racism claims against Collingwood.

Ben Amarfio is 16 and trudging off a northern suburbs footy ground with a busted wrist.
He’s writhing in pain and heading to the bench in the hands of a trainer.
As he crosses the boundary, two hard-bitten women in their 70s hang over the fence and spit out the words that will haunt him for life.

“Go back to the jungle you f---ing dirty n-----. That’s where you belong. You deserve that broken wrist,” Amarfio recalls.
“After years of abuse, even I was surprised by that.
“When you’re a kid, you just don’t expect to cop it from grandmothers as well.”
As racism rears its ugly head in the football world yet again, North Melbourne’s newly installed chief executive choked back tears as he opened up on his own lifetime of pain.
As a man with black skin, Amarfio knows only too well the harsh reality of racism in Australia.
But it was not always as blatant as it was playing A-grade under 17s in the Essendon District Football League all those years ago.


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Ben Amarfio is joined by Paul Ahern, Matt McGuinness, Aiden Bonar, Majak Daw, Jed Anderson, Tarryn Thomas, Marley Williams, Kyron Hayden, Jy Simpkin and Aaron Hall as North Melbourne takes a stand against racism. Picture: Jake Nowakowski
Ben Amarfio is joined by Paul Ahern, Matt McGuinness, Aiden Bonar, Majak Daw, Jed Anderson, Tarryn Thomas, Marley Williams, Kyron Hayden, Jy Simpkin and Aaron Hall as North Melbourne takes a stand against racism. Picture: Jake Nowakowski
Even as a younger boy, the son of a Ghanaian father (a professional boxer coincidently brought to Australia by former Kangaroos chairman Ron Casey in the 1960s) and Armenian mother, he felt the sting of prejudice growing up in outer-suburban Melbourne playing local footy and cricket.
“Back in those days the hygiene wasn’t what it is today — and you’d pass the cordial bottle around and everyone would take a swig from it … ” Amarfio recalled as his voice trailed off and he began to cry.
“And then, I’d swig from the bottle and the next kid wouldn’t want to touch it …
“So mate, stuff like that happened all the time.
“When I reflect, s---, it’s been tough sometimes.”
Amarfio said he was still confronted with the scourge of casual racism — the subtle side-step, the disdainful look and physical avoidance.
“I was walking down a major high street one day and a mother had her two young children on either side of her,” he said.
“I was walking towards her — and I was dressed smartly, so there were no cues for her to be alarmed — and she hurriedly clutched her children and pulled them under her arm, away from me.

“They look at you, they look you up and down and literally pull their children out of your way and visibly take a sidestep.”
The Roos boss said he had encountered “hundreds of those types of instances”.
“And I’m sure other black people have experienced the same,” Amarfio said as his voice broke again.
“I was getting a sandwich one day at a cafe in the Docklands. The server would place people’s change into their outstretched cupped hands. I put my hand out to accept my change, but instead of placing the change into my cupped hand, they put the change on the counter and pushed the money towards me and stepped back.
“Mate, that’s the sort of stuff that still happens.”
But his mother, Lily, taught him how to confront racism and persuade people to change their behaviour.
“I was in grade one and I used to come home after primary school crying every day because of the racial abuse and taunting,” Amarfio said.
“I remember my mother dragged me by the hand one day and she said, ‘I’m fed up with this’.
“She took me to the principal’s office and she said, ‘I want to see the boys who are picking on my son’.
“They lined up about four of the kids who had been giving me a hard time. She asked every kid, ‘Do you have a pet dog at home? And every kid said, ‘Yep’. She asked if they loved their pet dog. And every kid said, ‘Yep’. And she said, ‘Right, and what is the colour of your pet dog? What sort of dog is it?’
Ben Amarfio has been exposed to racism all his life. Picture: AAP Images
Ben Amarfio has been exposed to racism all his life. Picture: AAP Images
“One was a sandy-coloured labrador, one was a tan coloured bulldog, one was a little spotty-coloured dog and she said, ‘Right, do you care what colour your dog is?’
“And the kids were like, ‘No. We don’t care what colour they are’. And then she said, ‘Well why do you give my son a hard time just because he’s got different coloured skin to you?’.
“To five and six-year-old kids, that really resonated because they could see in a very simple way that she was right.
“I was standing there when she did that. And the kid who was my worst tormentor and used to give me the most s--- everyday eventually ended up being my best mate through primary school.
“I know my experiences aren’t unique. I feel for the many others who have had it worse than me.”
Appalled by this week’s racial attack on Carlton’s Eddie Betts and inspired by his mother’s philosophy of dealing with racism front on, Amarfio and 12 of his Kangaroos players of diverse backgrounds have penned a club statement.
MORE AFL
‘He’s not the RFC’: Getting Dusty back won’t fix all Tigers’ issues
Trade raid: Would Wines deal help end Blues’ long rebuild?
Footy tips: Who are the experts picking in Round 3?
It talks about the faiths and cultures that make up the Australian community and the “punch to the gut” that is everyday racism by the “ignorant few”.
“Football and footballers can play such a crucial role here because of the standing the game has in our community,” Amarfio said.
“If people can see that this is what their role models are doing and saying, then maybe they will think there is some substance to it and something they should be taking notice of.
“And for me, racism and prejudice stems largely from ignorance and fear. That’s the root of it and so you’ve got to deal with the root of it.
“We’ve got to break down the ignorance and fear.
“That’s how we’ll change it.”
NORTH MELBOURNE STATEMENT ON RACISM
North Melbourne is a diverse club. Many faiths and many cultures. White, brown and black brothers and sisters all cohabitating in an inner-city club that is our home away from home.
But sometimes, and it only needs to happen once, when we step outside of our footy clubs, homes or venture online, we are exposed to the harsh reality of prejudice and racism.
As young boys and girls, black kids are often told: ‘Don’t worry, we are all one. We are all the same. We are all brothers and sisters.’ But once you experience that not everyone has the same understanding, it hits you, like a punch to the gut.
We are proud of our heritage. Our work mates are from all corners of the world and our players are white, Indigenous Australian, African, Fijian, Maori and Papuan. We’ve all heard the poisonous nicknames which get thrown around by the ignorant few.
Sometimes it’s overt. More often than not it’s subtle or casual. Regardless, the effects are long lasting, compound over time and cut just as deep.
We often ask, why is this? Why do some wish to label and divide?
For those who still seek to see differences instead of commonality, we remind them that our blood is red, just like yours. Our brains are composed of neurons, just like yours. Our hearts beat the same as yours do. We have hopes and dreams, just like you.
We also have feelings and we are hurt when you treat us as something lesser simply because of our heritage, or the colour of our skin. All we ask is that you judge us by our character and behaviour, instead of our colour, and that you kneel with us, not on us.
- Ben Amarfio, Jed Anderson, Jy Simpkin, Aiden Bonar, Matt McGuinness, Majak Daw, Tarryn Thomas, Marley Williams, Aaron Hall, Paul Ahern, Kyron Hayden, Kaitlyn Ashmore and Mia King



 
Venn diagram of people who have meltdowns over things Swedish teenageers say, or the Deputy Chief Health Officer tweeted about a long dead British sailor, but also think our own CEO should just get over being racially abused.
 
Last edited:
Apr 24, 2013
81,024
153,170
Arden Street Hill
AFL Club
North Melbourne
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Did you get your membership refund processed yet?

Yep, and I sent the money on to Stormfront. Australia is just a little bit safer today as a result.

I also got a free cap & beanie out of them too.

 
Yep, and I sent the money on to Stormfront. Australia is just a little bit safer today as a result.

I also got a free cap & beanie out of them too.



Glad to see you were just triggered and made a rash statement that you didn’t follow through on.
 
Aug 16, 2009
10,270
20,887
North Caulfield
AFL Club
North Melbourne
North Melbne CEO Ben Amarfio opens up about the lifetime of racial abuse he has suffered
Ben Amarfio was 16 and had just broken his wrist when two elderly women told him to, ‘Go back to the jungle’. It is one horrible example in what has been a lifetime of racial abuse that has followed the North Melbourne CEO.
Michael Warner, Herald Sun
Subscriber only
|
June 19, 2020 12:50pm



FOXSPORTS1:42
'Brave' Lumumba receives support from ex-teammate
AFL: Former Magpies player Tony Armstrong has come to the defence of former teammate Heritier Lumumba following his racism claims against Collingwood.

Ben Amarfio is 16 and trudging off a northern suburbs footy ground with a busted wrist.
He’s writhing in pain and heading to the bench in the hands of a trainer.
As he crosses the boundary, two hard-bitten women in their 70s hang over the fence and spit out the words that will haunt him for life.

“Go back to the jungle you f---ing dirty n-----. That’s where you belong. You deserve that broken wrist,” Amarfio recalls.
“After years of abuse, even I was surprised by that.
“When you’re a kid, you just don’t expect to cop it from grandmothers as well.”
As racism rears its ugly head in the football world yet again, North Melbourne’s newly installed chief executive choked back tears as he opened up on his own lifetime of pain.
As a man with black skin, Amarfio knows only too well the harsh reality of racism in Australia.
But it was not always as blatant as it was playing A-grade under 17s in the Essendon District Football League all those years ago.


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Cutting through the spin. Don’t miss The Bolt Report with Andrew Bolt 7pm Weeknights, Sky News. For more
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Ben Amarfio is joined by Paul Ahern, Matt McGuinness, Aiden Bonar, Majak Daw, Jed Anderson, Tarryn Thomas, Marley Williams, Kyron Hayden, Jy Simpkin and Aaron Hall as North Melbourne takes a stand against racism. Picture: Jake Nowakowski
Ben Amarfio is joined by Paul Ahern, Matt McGuinness, Aiden Bonar, Majak Daw, Jed Anderson, Tarryn Thomas, Marley Williams, Kyron Hayden, Jy Simpkin and Aaron Hall as North Melbourne takes a stand against racism. Picture: Jake Nowakowski
Even as a younger boy, the son of a Ghanaian father (a professional boxer coincidently brought to Australia by former Kangaroos chairman Ron Casey in the 1960s) and Armenian mother, he felt the sting of prejudice growing up in outer-suburban Melbourne playing local footy and cricket.
“Back in those days the hygiene wasn’t what it is today — and you’d pass the cordial bottle around and everyone would take a swig from it … ” Amarfio recalled as his voice trailed off and he began to cry.
“And then, I’d swig from the bottle and the next kid wouldn’t want to touch it …
“So mate, stuff like that happened all the time.
“When I reflect, s---, it’s been tough sometimes.”
Amarfio said he was still confronted with the scourge of casual racism — the subtle side-step, the disdainful look and physical avoidance.
“I was walking down a major high street one day and a mother had her two young children on either side of her,” he said.
“I was walking towards her — and I was dressed smartly, so there were no cues for her to be alarmed — and she hurriedly clutched her children and pulled them under her arm, away from me.

“They look at you, they look you up and down and literally pull their children out of your way and visibly take a sidestep.”
The Roos boss said he had encountered “hundreds of those types of instances”.
“And I’m sure other black people have experienced the same,” Amarfio said as his voice broke again.
“I was getting a sandwich one day at a cafe in the Docklands. The server would place people’s change into their outstretched cupped hands. I put my hand out to accept my change, but instead of placing the change into my cupped hand, they put the change on the counter and pushed the money towards me and stepped back.
“Mate, that’s the sort of stuff that still happens.”
But his mother, Lily, taught him how to confront racism and persuade people to change their behaviour.
“I was in grade one and I used to come home after primary school crying every day because of the racial abuse and taunting,” Amarfio said.
“I remember my mother dragged me by the hand one day and she said, ‘I’m fed up with this’.
“She took me to the principal’s office and she said, ‘I want to see the boys who are picking on my son’.
“They lined up about four of the kids who had been giving me a hard time. She asked every kid, ‘Do you have a pet dog at home? And every kid said, ‘Yep’. She asked if they loved their pet dog. And every kid said, ‘Yep’. And she said, ‘Right, and what is the colour of your pet dog? What sort of dog is it?’
Ben Amarfio has been exposed to racism all his life. Picture: AAP Images
Ben Amarfio has been exposed to racism all his life. Picture: AAP Images
“One was a sandy-coloured labrador, one was a tan coloured bulldog, one was a little spotty-coloured dog and she said, ‘Right, do you care what colour your dog is?’
“And the kids were like, ‘No. We don’t care what colour they are’. And then she said, ‘Well why do you give my son a hard time just because he’s got different coloured skin to you?’.
“To five and six-year-old kids, that really resonated because they could see in a very simple way that she was right.
“I was standing there when she did that. And the kid who was my worst tormentor and used to give me the most s--- everyday eventually ended up being my best mate through primary school.
“I know my experiences aren’t unique. I feel for the many others who have had it worse than me.”
Appalled by this week’s racial attack on Carlton’s Eddie Betts and inspired by his mother’s philosophy of dealing with racism front on, Amarfio and 12 of his Kangaroos players of diverse backgrounds have penned a club statement.
MORE AFL
‘He’s not the RFC’: Getting Dusty back won’t fix all Tigers’ issues
Trade raid: Would Wines deal help end Blues’ long rebuild?
Footy tips: Who are the experts picking in Round 3?
It talks about the faiths and cultures that make up the Australian community and the “punch to the gut” that is everyday racism by the “ignorant few”.
“Football and footballers can play such a crucial role here because of the standing the game has in our community,” Amarfio said.
“If people can see that this is what their role models are doing and saying, then maybe they will think there is some substance to it and something they should be taking notice of.
“And for me, racism and prejudice stems largely from ignorance and fear. That’s the root of it and so you’ve got to deal with the root of it.
“We’ve got to break down the ignorance and fear.
“That’s how we’ll change it.”
NORTH MELBOURNE STATEMENT ON RACISM
North Melbourne is a diverse club. Many faiths and many cultures. White, brown and black brothers and sisters all cohabitating in an inner-city club that is our home away from home.
But sometimes, and it only needs to happen once, when we step outside of our footy clubs, homes or venture online, we are exposed to the harsh reality of prejudice and racism.
As young boys and girls, black kids are often told: ‘Don’t worry, we are all one. We are all the same. We are all brothers and sisters.’ But once you experience that not everyone has the same understanding, it hits you, like a punch to the gut.
We are proud of our heritage. Our work mates are from all corners of the world and our players are white, Indigenous Australian, African, Fijian, Maori and Papuan. We’ve all heard the poisonous nicknames which get thrown around by the ignorant few.
Sometimes it’s overt. More often than not it’s subtle or casual. Regardless, the effects are long lasting, compound over time and cut just as deep.
We often ask, why is this? Why do some wish to label and divide?
For those who still seek to see differences instead of commonality, we remind them that our blood is red, just like yours. Our brains are composed of neurons, just like yours. Our hearts beat the same as yours do. We have hopes and dreams, just like you.
We also have feelings and we are hurt when you treat us as something lesser simply because of our heritage, or the colour of our skin. All we ask is that you judge us by our character and behaviour, instead of our colour, and that you kneel with us, not on us.
- Ben Amarfio, Jed Anderson, Jy Simpkin, Aiden Bonar, Matt McGuinness, Majak Daw, Tarryn Thomas, Marley Williams, Aaron Hall, Paul Ahern, Kyron Hayden, Kaitlyn Ashmore and Mia King



That incident when playing footy as a kid is unbelievable. Bloody hell.
 
Apr 24, 2013
81,024
153,170
Arden Street Hill
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Other Teams
Essendon Lawn Bowls Club
Glad to see you were just triggered and made a rash statement that you didn’t follow through on.

I'm rather flattered by the emotional investment on your behalf.

May your righteousness spill out of your ears and cover the whole world in rainbow colored rivers of toffee.

Cheers. :thumbsu:
 
Venn diagram of people who have meltdowns over things Swedish teenageers say, or the Deputy Chief Health Officer tweeted about a long dead British sailor, but also think our own CEO should just get over being racially abused.

Flat circle.
 

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