Michael Long vividly remembers the abuse he received on AFL fields around the country.
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An Essendon star, a two-time premiership winner and a Norm Smith medallist, the proud Indigenous man was a hero for Bombers fans.
But to other fan bases, he was an easy target for racial vilification.
More than two decades since Long's retirement in 2001, plenty has changed but much remains the same.
Racism and a chorus of boos drove 2014 Australian of the Year Adam Goodes out of the game and multiple clubs have been engulfed in racism scandals in the past few seasons.
The issue is not confined to AFL, with rugby league star Latrell Mitchell among a host of Indigenous NRL players to receive abuse both online and in person.
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Long has spent the past 22 years campaigning for reconciliation, an effort kickstarted by his Long Walk to Canberra in 2004.
With the Voice to Parliament referendum a month away, the former AFL legend has retraced his steps to throw his support behind the "yes" campaign.
Long arrived in Canberra on Monday and will complete his walk to Parliament House on Tuesday morning. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will join him for the final leg of the journey.
Along the way, the 53-year-old has held numerous conversations with Australians from all walks of life and said the key to success in the referendum and closing the gap for Indigenous people is education.
"It all comes down to education," Long said. "I know we all go back to it, but it's about educating people.
"I've been through racism and even when it happened to me, it was important that I became a bigger advocate out of the racism. I've always seen the good side of what can come out of that.
"The world is not perfect but it's about education in sporting organisations and clubs, because [racism is] unacceptable, especially in the year 2023."
While the Voice to Parliament has developed into a polarising political topic, the advisory body received unified support from Australia's major sports.
The NRL has been particularly vocal about the importance of a successful referendum and has largely set the benchmark for providing opportunities for Indigenous players.
Long has first-hand experience of the way sport can facilitate positive change and urged organisations to focus on the impact they can have.
"Sport is in the social fabric of our nation," he said. "Football's been a great ally for a lot of different nations, not just Indigenous. It's broken down a lot of barriers and with racism in sport, I've been part of that and you see what the game's done [to stamp it out].
"In our own way let's make change, not just on the field but off the field and change our attitudes from years ago to what they are now.
"The game's not perfect, it still has its issues but it plays its part in society."
While he has been walking from Melbourne to Canberra in the last three weeks, Long still found time to watch the first weekend of the AFL finals.
The former Bomber was impressed with the GWS Giants' win over St Kilda but recognises they face a major challenge on the road against Port Adelaide on Saturday.
Long tipped Collingwood to go all the way, however feels the Giants have what it takes to upset their more fancied rivals throughout the next three weeks.
"It'll be interesting whether they can win away from home again," he said. "Every side's still beatable and [GWS] has been there pushing in the finals and just haven't had that grand final win.
"That's the beauty of finals. Anything can happen, in the first five minutes a team can have an injury to their best player. That changes the dynamic very quickly.
"Opportunities to play in a grand final don't come around too often and then to win one is even harder."
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