Yamatji artist Beau Simpson creates artwork for Perth Wildcats for Indigenous jersey as design unveiled

A local Yamatji artist has lent his talents to the Perth Wildcats by designing the NBL side’s Indigenous jersey for this season.

Beau Simpson, who also plays for Rovers, produced the design during COVID isolation which he said not only gave him something to do, but also was a special experience.

“I was pretty stoked when I got the phone call, I’ve only been doing art for over a year now,” he said.

“I love the Wildcats and to be able to create a design for them was pretty special to me.”

The artwork, titled Together as One, seeks to intertwine his home city of Geraldton together with Perth.

“The two circles in each corner represent the two cities with Geraldton in the north and Perth in the south with pink dots representing outer communities surrounding the two,” he said.

“The blue lines are rivers and creeks with black dots places of meeting and the orange representing people travelling place to place.”

“Hatchet lines in the centre represent family connections with the handprint being unity ‘Together as One.’”

The Indigenous round will be held next week for round 11 with the Wildcats set to wear the jersey at home against the New Zealand Breakers on Friday night.

The Wildcats have also adopted the name ‘Djooditj’ for the first time, the Noongar term for western quoll, a rare native marsupial, similar to WA’s own native ‘wildcat’ which they will look to incorporate in future uniforms.