Ava Morris: a devoted daughter, her proud dad and their shared special cause

What also emerged was a tale of daughterly love; of how this Tamworth 19-year-old - who plans to study physiotherapy at university - encouraged her father to launch a project that may come to largely define him.

Morris, who described herself as reserved, had been lured to the Bicentennial Park duck pond to speak about her involvement in the Tamworth Crows - the burgeoning rugby league club founded by her father, Jake, and now including herself after the launch of the Crows' first women's side.

In their second year of existence, the Crows' sole assignment - as was the case last year - will be the annual Koori Knockout. This year's instalment of the mega Indigenous event will be staged at Bathurst in October.

Morris undoubtedly listened intently as her old man talked about how he was befuddled over why Tamworth didn't have a sizeable presence at event, while also speaking effusively about how he wanted the city to have a club it could be proud of at one of Australia's largest Indigenous gatherings.

And she must have swelled with pride as the stakeholder engagement coordinator at UNE Tamworth talked about how he wanted the club, who also have men's and under-15 boys teams, to inspire Indigenous youth to block crime from their lives.

''It is really exciting," she said of her Crows involvement. "For me, personally, I was around when it was just an idea - egging him [her dad] on to do it. And now it's as big as it is. And it's pretty cool to see and now be a part of."

Morris's family includes her mother, Krista Lynch, and her younger sister Mylee. Following her father's lead, she and her sister are Rabbitohs tragics.

Presently, the Peel High alum is doing a bridging course online through the University of Newcastle, with the goal of getting into physiotherapy. If that happens, she would relocate to Newcastle at the start of next year to commence the degree.

The lover of movies would like to be American actress Reese Witherspoon if she were not herself: "She produces movies, she directs movies ... and everything she's involved with I really like."

Being accomplished in life is important to Morris, who believes "you shouldn't just try to let things fall into your lap - you can't expect anything".

"You need to go out and work for it, and you need to get it yourself," she told the Leader, adding that she would like to be remembered as a kind and nice person - "somebody people got along with".

Jake said his eldest daughter was "extremely passionate" about the Crows and what it was doing in the community.

She also loved her hometown and the Indigenous community, he continued, adding that she did Aboriginal dancing at school, had served on the Tamworth Regional Youth Council and had long done volunteer work.

"And she is very disciplined with everything she does," he said.