The remote town of Nauiyu roared to life this month as the Daly River Buffaloes took on the Katherine Camels in their first home game in the Big Rivers Football League.
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The occasion marked the first time the Nauiyu community had welcomed big crowds since the start of the pandemic.
While the day's action centred upon what was happening on the field, off the field celebrations marked an opportunity for the surrounding community to come together and lift each other's spirits after the stress and isolation of COVID lockdowns.
The day's celebrations kicked off with an official opening of the new Merrepen Arts Museum by NT Attorney General Chansey, local member for Daly Dheran Young, and Senior Australian of the Year and Nauiyu Elder Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann.
Stalls representing various community organisations were set up beside the footy oval servicing the community with sausage sizzles, food, drinks and craft-making sessions.
The spectacle drew crowds of local cheer squads and visitors on the sidelines who watched eagerly as the game got underway.
The carnival-like atmosphere was the brainchild of Senior Australian of the Year and Nauiyu Elder Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann who got in contact with the art centre to establish the inaugural Art and Footy day.
"Everyone's having a great time now that things are getting back to normal after COVID, so I thought, why can't we have a mini festival too?" Ms Ungunmerr-Baumann said.
"It's about replenishing everyone's spirits, and showing people who don't live in Nauiyu exactly what the community has to offer," she said.
Daly River Buffaloes coach Wally said he was excited to see the community come together for such a momentous occasion.
"After not having lots of visitors in Nauiyu for so long, it's great to see everyone coming together like this in such a positive way," he said.
Unfortunately for the Buffaloes, the Katherine Camels proved too strong on the day defeating the locals 16 goals to 10.
The defeat, however, didn't dampen the mood amongst the scores of crowds.
The Victoria Daly Regional Council Nauiyu Community Operations Manager Pat Hollowood said she hoped the event could continue to run for years to come.
"I think positive days like this that effectively bring the whole community together are so valuable," she said.
"Everything in the leadup to the actual running of the day has been so excellent, and all stakeholders and community members have really pulled out all the stops to put on a great day."
