When Collingwood star Isaac Quaynor hears of calls for a “monoculture” Australia, as espoused by One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, he struggles to grasp its purpose.
In a controversial speech last month, Hanson argued that while Australia is a “multiracial” society, it cannot be multicultural and must slash migration. She said Australia should be a monocultural society – where citizens are unified under one set of rules and a single shared identity.
“What does that even mean?” Quaynor, who was the AFL’s first player of Ghanaian descent, said when asked for his response to Hanson’s comments.
“I mean, people are going to have their opinions, but I mean, look around, walk around Australia – there’s people of all different colours and cultures and whatever it is.
“I think we do a great job as a country of accepting people.
“You look at the Socceroos that have just played [at the FIFA World Cup] – it was a perfect example of what Australia is, with all different cultures representing our country. So, yeah, I try not to even keep that stuff in mind.”
He said people would always have their own opinions, but he didn’t have to agree with them.
“I feel like I have a good sense of – I know what’s right and what’s wrong,” he said.
Quaynor, 26, has been joined in the league by others with Ghanaian heritage – Joel Amartey (Sydney), Connor Idun (GWS) and Brandon Walker (Fremantle).
In a chat on Monday when seated next to his proud father Yaw, Quaynor relished the chance to discuss his rich family heritage. Yaw was originally from Akyem Abuakwa in Ghana, and immigrated to Australia.
His mother, Kate, is Australian, and Quaynor was born here, emerging as a highly talented soccer, football and basketball player from Doncaster in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs.
The 2023 premiership player is a cultural diversity ambassador for the AFL, and will celebrate this ahead of Friday night’s clash with North Melbourne when he and his father will wear a traditional Ghanaian garment to the game.
Quaynor has lived, and continues to witness, how sport can help youngsters assimilate into society, regardless of race, religious values and sexual orientation.
Quaynor, one of six siblings, used sport to help guide him through his junior years, and Aussie rules was a natural platform in Australia to turn to. But that’s changing in a heavily driven social media world, where sports and entertainment increasingly compete for attention.
The AFL was recently briefed by prominent pollster Kos Samaras that it can no longer rely on “inherited loyalty” when it comes to playing or following the sport, with one in three Australians born overseas. Where Italian and Greek migrants of decades past largely embraced Aussie rules, the infusion of Asian and Indian migrants is a different story.
“I think there’s a great opportunity for the AFL to continue to tap into this multicultural space and encourage more … I believe the stats are like 26 per cent of Australians are born overseas, I’d love to see that represented in the AFL,” Quaynor said.
“I think that’s where we’d love to … get to eventually, where, you know, there’s more multicultural people playing, playing our game, and that’s from grassroots level all the way up to the AFL, AFLW.”
Yaw, in his vibrant Kente traditional clothing featuring hand-woven silk and cotton fabric, suggested the AFL could allow fans to use drums at games, providing a more multicultural feel.
Quaynor has visited his father’s homeland – he celebrated his 10th birthday there – and another opportunity looms with Amartey this off-season.
“When we play against each other, there’s always that, you know, little connection there, and we have a little chat after the game,” Quaynor said of Amartey, Idun and Walker.
“I actually spoke to Joel recently, and I think he’s going to Ghana with a couple of the Sydney boys in the off-season, and he was like: ‘Oh, if you’re around at all, you should come’, so that’s potentially something I could look at.”
Meanwhile, there is the 2026 season to complete. Quaynor missed Saturday’s six-point win over the Gold Coast because of an ankle issue, but will line up against the Kangaroos at Marvel Stadium this week.
A leader off the field, where he is meticulous in his preparation, he continues to prosper in the Magpies’ leadership group. Contracted until the end of 2029, Quaynor shapes as an ideal future captaincy candidate when Darcy Moore steps down, but understands the key role will almost certainly go to Nick Daicos.
“I’m happy to be his Robin,” Quaynor said.
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Jon Pierik is a sports journalist at The Age. He covers AFL and has won awards for his cricket and basketball writing.Connect via X or email.From our partners
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