Campaigner who fought to get Coon cheese renamed calls on Carlton to change “racist” theme song

The indigenous activist who led the successful campaign to rename Coon cheese due to claims its brand was racist has a new target in his sights – a top tier AFL club.

Stephen Hagan has called on Carlton Football Club to change the tune of its club song describing it as one “one of the most racist songs of all time”.

But Carlton management have said they have no plans to compose a new song and the lyrics “effectively removed the original song’s racist connotations”.

Dr Hagan said the club told him that several indigenous Carlton players past and present, had backed the club’s stance which left him “absolutely shocked”.

If Carlton beat the Gold Coast Suns in Saturday night’s clash at Metricon Stadium, the players and supporters will celebrate by singingWe are the Navy Blues.

The almost century old ditty was said to be written around 1929 by Agnes Wright and her cousin Irene McEldrew who ran a boarding house in the inner Melbourne suburb of Hawthorn where Carlton players lodged.

The lyrics, which mostly revolve around Carlton’s winning ways, are not offensive, Dr Hagan told news.com.us.

What is offensive, he said, is the tune those lyrics are sung to.

Ms Wright and Ms McEldrew wrote the words to the tune ofLily of Laguna, a song penned by English composer Leslie Stuart.

The original lyrics concern a black man pining after a Native American women. It was frequently performed in black face.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/carlton/campaigner-who-fought-to-get-coon-cheese-renamed-calls-on-carlton-to-change-racist-theme-song/news-story/8b114119539dff6bb94161fe228416d4

First Coon Cheese now Carlton theme song. This guy will never be satisfied. Someone in government needs to grow some balls and tell him where to go.