Six years ago Mitch McCarthy’s mother Cheryl received a life-changing call.

“I think I’m your sister,” came the unknown voice on the other end of the phone.

Suddenly, an upbringing of uncertainty became clearer. Mitch knew his Mum hadn’t had an easy childhood. But none of their immediate family were aware she had numerous other siblings all trying to piece together a lost history.

“All of a sudden they’d connected nine other siblings,” McCarthy told Collingwood Media this week.

“Some have detached themselves from the family, some we all get together and catch up. There’s probably more out there. She just hasn’t found out them yet.”

McCathy’s family history was stolen long before he was signed by Collingwood as a rookie in November, 2016.

It was stolen long before he was even born.

Between 1910 and 1970, approximately one-in-three Indigenous children were forcibly taken from their families and communities in what is now known as The Stolen Generations.

McCarthy’s grandmother was one of these children.

“I believe my Grandma was sold, not as a slave, but as goods or an item.

“Because she was fair-skinned, they took her out and tried to breed the black out of her. They took her away from her parents and tried to westernise her.”  

These unthinkable actions over 100 years ago meant McCarthy grew up completely oblivious to his links to Australia’s first people.

It all changed with a phone call from a stranger.

Socially-conscious teenagers are rarely equipped for such life-changing news. McCarthy was no different as he came to terms with a new side to his identity.

“Early days, it was a bit hard,” he admitted.

“When it said on a test at school ‘are you Indigenous’, I kind of wanted to circle no just so people didn’t judge me.

“But now I know more about it, I’m a lot more proud of it. To identify as Indigenous is a privilege. It’s such a strong culture.”

A large part of McCarthy’s education came from family members he previously didn’t know to exist.

The 19-year-old now has a close relationship with an uncle who’s an Aboriginal Elder, based in Woodend as a mentor to young Indigenous kids in trouble with the law.

“I’ve only known him for four or five years,” McCarthy said.

“Every time I see him we just love talking. We can talk for hours and hours. I’m so happy we’ve dug up that side of the family and all that information.”

Not long after being rookie-listed by the Magpies, McCarthy received an invitation to a camp in Broome, run bi-annually by the AFL and the AFL Players Association for all the Indigenous men in the league.



Hawthorn's Cyril Rioli (middle) was one of 55 players who attended the 2017 Indigenous All Stars camp in Broome. Picture: AFL Players Association.

Collingwood’s new ruckman was hesitant. Here was a kid with limited knowledge of his heritage mixing with others who had grown up in Indigenous communities completely contrasting to his city upbringing.

McCarthy reached out to his uncle and eagerly welcomed any piece of advice provided.

And as he bonded over a tasting of goanna with fellow Magpie Kayle Kirby and the Gold Coast Suns’ Callum Ah Chee, McCarthy begun to feel comfortable amongst his Indigenous peers.

“Being with all these guys and lacking knowledge was hard. Everyone else had conversations around stuff I had no idea about,” he reflected.

“But the trip was really good. There were great cultural experiences and I met some good people along the way as well as a number of good mentors.”

McCarthy has no shortage of mentors around the Holden Centre either.

The club's Barrawarn Program is integral in helping him get in touch with his Indigenous roots. Scott Pendlebury translates game plans into basketball terms to help him understand things more clearly. Daniel Wells is the man to turn to for a friendly face in hard times. Jesse White assists with matters on the field.

“His willingness to learn has impressed me from the start. He’s always asking questions,” White told Collingwood Media this week.

“His athleticism will really shine once he improves his work-rate and learns what’s needed to make it at the top level.”



Fellow first-year player Josh Daicos congratulates McCarthy on a three-goal VFL performance in the pre-season. Photo: Shane Barrie.

The top level may seem a little way down the road for McCarthy midway through his first year at the Holden Centre. Minor injuries have prevented continuity at VFL level, with three games coming sporadically in the opening six rounds of the season.

He’s a project player, one who just two years ago was weighing up which college in the United States he would attend to continue a budding basketball career.

At the end of a six-month stint with a high school team in California, McCarthy had decisions to make. He had three formal offers to play with NCAA division one colleges and 14 other expressions of interest, including one from 2016 National Championship runner-up Gonzaga University.

All offers were turned down. McCarthy was returning to Australia to pursue a football career.

And he was adamant in his desire to make it to the top level.

“I didn’t care what I had to do to get drafted,” he said.

“I wanted to play for an AFL team whether it took me one year or five years. I would just have kept going until I got drafted.”

It didn’t take long. Seven games for the Dandenong Stingrays and two for Vic Country were enough for Collingwood to take a gamble on McCarthy in the 2016 Rookie Draft.

“He might take a year or two,” was the advice of Dandenong’s talent manager Mark Wheeler.  



McCarthy played two games for Vic Country in the 2016 U18 National Championships. Picture: AFL Photos.

McCarthy may be aware of this, but he’s not showing any signs of waiting patiently. As eager a rookie as you’ll find, he’s constantly pushing himself to improve.

When struggles on the field present, a thought creeps into the back of the 19-year-old’s mind.

“I get frustrated that I’m not getting a game, or I’m not getting any better or I played bad on the weekend,” he said.

“But I look at Mum and realise that she’s come from basically having no parents. She still has no idea who her father is.

“It’s a leveller”

While some have been answered, many question marks remain in Cheryl’s side of the McCarthy family tree. It went missing when her mother was stolen from her community all those years ago.

Like so many affected by the Stolen Generations, Mitch is determined to find answers.

He’s sad for his Mum and her history, but incredibly grateful for the unexpected phone call she received in 2011.

“There’s a massive story I can learn and go down that path, which I’m super interested in doing,” he said.

“I want to know not only about our culture, but about specific things about my family tree and what my relatives went through.”

“The more I know, the more proud I am.”



McCarthy models Collingwood's 2017 Sir Doug Nicholls Round guernsey with Daniel Wells and Kayle Kirby. Photo: Collingwood Media.