A place to call home

A collaborative project has given the local Karen community a permanent venue to play their national sport, ensuring a special part of their culture can kick on in Bendigo for future generations.

By Raelee Tuckerman - Photography by Daniel Soncin

The pale blue line markings on courts at the Eaglehawk Tennis Club look unfamiliar, even to keen sports fans. Curious small circles in each playing area and semi-circles beside high nets are early signs this is no ordinary game. And when the athletes spring into action, sending a woven ball back and forth with spectacular agility using their head, torso and legs – but definitely no hands – first impressions are confirmed. This is caneball and it’s something else! Also known as sepak takraw, caneball combines the rules of volleyball and soccer and is played across Asia, including in refugee camps along the Thai-Myanmar border from where many of Bendigo’s Karen population originate. To keep this tradition alive in their new hometown, community members would gather at sports grounds for social games, but were often asked to leave when the ovals’ resident teams turned up to train or play. As Karen community leader Nay Chee Aung and Sports Focus project co-ordinator Laura Bradley explain, the solution was a joint initiative led by the City of Greater Bendigo to create two permanent caneball courts where players would always feel safe and welcome. “The council identified Eaglehawk Tennis Club, which was looking to be redeveloped, as a suitable site,” says Laura. “This work happened with the support of Sports Focus, the Bendigo Karen Youth Network and both the Eaglehawk tennis club and association.” Crowther Street is now home to what is thought to be Victoria’s first permanent caneball venue, though Karen communities in other municipalities are campaigning for similar facilities in their regions. “This means a lot to us and is an example of great leadership by the City of Greater Bendigo,” says Nay Chee. “Having these courts makes sense, especially when the city wants people to be more active. It’s a good outcome for the Karen community because we can promote caneball, get our people involved who have never played before, and encourage the broader community to come along and try our sport.”

Nay Chee says there are now around 200 people playing caneball socially in Central Victoria, with about 50 involved in regular competition, including tournaments sometimes hosted in Bendigo. Among them are Eh Soo, Yeah Min Soe, Pu Law, Eh Chri and Silver Moo, who all settled here because of family/community ties, job opportunities and the chance of a better life after arriving in Australia on humanitarian grounds. Yeah Min, 27, learnt the game as a teenager in the Mae La refugee camp and is now known among friends as the “number one champion player in Bendigo”, where he’s lived since 2019. The “sparker” responsible for spiking the rattan or acrylic ball over the net, usually via an acrobatic leap and kick, says he’s thrilled to remain involved in the sport that connects him to his roots. “It’s really great to see caneball being played in Australia and Bendigo,” he says. “That’s important for the next generation, to see us play and take it up themselves in the future so our sport is not lost or forgotten in our new country.” Eh Chri, 21, recalls playing in the Mae Ra Moe camp before seeking refuge in Australia in 2016 but says having proper training sessions in Bendigo has helped him develop more quickly and he now enjoys attending tournaments that attract teams and supporters from many parts of the state. Pu Law, on the other hand, had never tried caneball until COVID interrupted his local soccer season and he went looking for an activity he could do with his mates. “I saw my friend playing and thought I might enjoy it and yes, it was a really cool game,” he laughs. “At first it was very hard, especially when the ball hits you. But the people around me gave me confidence to commit myself to train and improve and now it’s very good. I enjoy playing caneball even more than soccer!” Bendigo pair Eh Soo and Silver Moo proudly represented Australia at the King’s Cup World Championship in Bangkok in July, contesting doubles, triples and quads and winning several matches. “The skill level was incredible,” says Eh Soo who plays the “feeder” role (similar to a volleyball setter). “Countries like Thailand, Korea, Vietnam and Myanmar have been playing for a very long time. The experience has inspired me to train more and hopefully if I get another chance to represent Australia, I can do even better.” The star pair share a passion for developing caneball within their community as well as sharing it with non-Karen people.

“If anyone wants to try it, they can,” says server Silver. “We are happy to teach them how to play and we welcome everybody.” Eh Soo adds: “I would like one day for Australia to formally recognise caneball as a sport – that’s my goal.” Local interest is growing, with the Karen community reaching out to several primary schools in Bendigo to present their sporting culture and also recently engaging with a youth group from Maryborough. “They enjoyed it thoroughly from beginning to end and were really impressed by our older people playing,” says Nay Chee. “They took home a caneball and hopefully they’ll start practising. They showed some passion already and I hope they can become involved in future competitions we organise.” Bendigo is home to an estimated 5000 Karen residents, many of whom fled persecution and face both language and cultural barriers as they try to rebuild their lives here. Posao ‘Nido’ Taveesupmai , who works in refugee settlement at Bendigo Community Health Services, asks for kindness and understanding to help them feel welcome. “We, the Karen people, are born in the jungle or the refugee camps and don’t have access to anything: no rights, nothing,” Nido says. “We live behind barbed wire fences, and don’t know what’s happening in the outside world. “We come from a very unstable background with very little English, and we don’t have much confidence because we’ve been trained to listen to authority, not speak up and talk to people. Many of us have seen bad things happen and come with a background of trauma. When we land at Tullamarine we have nothing, and we must start learning everything again. “But we are trying. It might take us time to learn the language and culture, so when you see us, just say ‘hi’ – it’s a very universal word. And smile. That’s another thing we can share with one another.” Nay Chee adds that Karen people are not here seeking handouts, they simply want a haven. “We’ve had starvation and deprivation for so long. We just want a roof over our head, food on the table, and basic human rights. Our people come from such humble backgrounds but now we are working, buying houses, spending money locally and contributing to society here.” And playing caneball on home courts built on collaborative foundations – something worth celebrating. The caneball courts are unlocked and free for anyone to use, any time, though priority is given to those with a booking. To learn more or find out how you can give caneball a go, contact the Bendigo Karen Youth Network via Facebook or email bendigokarenyouthnetwork@hotmail.com