By Sonia Isaacs
A BEERWAH State High School student has made Brisbane Broncos history, becoming the first participant in the club’s Beyond the Broncos Indigenous mentoring program to design its Indigenous Round jersey.
Seventeen-year-old Ladda Kaewhanam created the Broncos’ 2026 Indigenous Round jersey, with her artwork to be worn during the club’s Indigenous Round matches next month.
The Year 12 student reached the milestone after her artistic talent was discovered through the Beyond the Broncos mentoring program for young First Nations students. Ladda is a Future Voice Leader in the statewide initiative for First Nations girls in Years 10 to 12. She was identified during a leadership camp last year at Tangalooma, where an art workshop revealed her exceptional talent.
The workshop, led by a visiting gallery, earned Ladda an invitation to join a three-year arts development program. Initially, she was unsure whether she could commit while balancing the demands of Year 12.
Soon afterwards, program coordinators approached her with an unexpected opportunity.
“They asked if I’d design the Broncos’ Indigenous jersey,” Ladda said.
“I was like, ‘Oh, okay, yeah. Wow!’ It was pretty surreal.”
Over the following year, Ladda designed every element of the jersey herself, including the front, back and sleeves. She first created the artwork by hand before collaborating with Quandamooka artist Casey Coolwell-Fisher, who digitised the paintings and adapted them to the jersey template.
The result is One Journey to The Other, a design unveiled during NAIDOC Week that celebrates connection across Australia through family, Country, education and culture.
For Ladda, the artwork is deeply personal. A proud Whadjuk Noongar and Wangkathaa young woman from Kalgoorlie in Western Australia, she said she drew inspiration from her family’s connection to the red dirt and desert landscapes of her ancestral Country.
Recurring dot patterns symbolise ancestors watching over and protecting her family.
The symbolism carries added significance because Ladda’s grandmother was a member of the Stolen Generations. Art has become a way for Ladda to reconnect with culture while honouring the stories of those who came before her.
“When I’m creating, I always connect with culture,” she said. “When I’m painting, I don’t just talk about my story. I talk about my ancestors’ story, my mother’s story. I really love telling their story.”
Ladda said she wanted the jersey to represent more than her own experiences.
“I wanted people to see how important family, community and culture are, and that everyone has their own journey,” she said.
The recognition has brought unexpected attention to the Beerwah teenager, who is still completing Year 12.
She laughed that people now regularly ask for photographs and autographs. “It actually feels like I’m a bit famous,” she said.
While the Broncos jersey represents a career-defining moment, Ladda sees it as only the beginning.
She hopes to continue working as an Indigenous artist, secure more design commissions and eventually travel to remote communities to teach children how to use art to strengthen their connection to culture and identity.
“I want to help kids connect with culture through art because that’s what helped me,” she said.
Her advice to other young people is simple.
“Just go out there, just do what you want to do,” she said. “Just do it, because that’s what I did.”
