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National NAIDOC (National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee) Week celebrations are held across Australia in the first week of July each year (Sunday to Sunday), to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Australians to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth.
The 2023 National NAIDOC Week theme is ‘For Our Elders.’
Across every generation, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders have played, and continue to play, an important role and hold a prominent place within communities. They are cultural knowledge holders, nurturers, advocates, teachers, survivors, leaders and hard workers.
They guide generations and pave the way for us to take the paths we can take today. Guidance, not only through generations of advocacy and activism, but in everyday life.
We draw strength from their knowledge and experience, in everything from land management, cultural knowledge to justice and human rights. Across multiple sectors like health, education, the arts, politics and everything in between, they have set many courses.
NA Group pays our respects to the Elders we’ve lost and to those who continue fighting for reconciliation across all our Nations and we pay homage to them. We also pay our sincere respects to Aunty Lyn Martin, who has advised us and helped us through our Reconciliation Action Plan journey. Her knowledge and advice has helped us tremendously and educated us in many aspects.
The NA Group RAP Team attended a NAIDOC celebration day by Fairfield City Council in partnership with Fairfield Engaging Families of Aboriginal Heritage (FEFAH) Network. The RAP team experienced story times, performances, arts and crafts all celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, cultures and achievements.
Continuing with NAIDOC week, the NA Group office had a screening of Stolen Generations | One Family’s Story. This is the story of the Richards family, siblings, and cousins on what happened to each other when they were stolen from their families and taken by boat to Adelaide.
Some have never talked about their painful experiences. The siblings and cousins are part of the Stolen Generation. They all returned home to Port Lincoln, on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula, one by one as they reached adulthood, but their lives had changed forever. They struggled to reconnect after their family bonds were broken … the effects have rippled through the lives of their children and now their grandchildren. It is a harrowing story of a family torn apart and their steps to reconnect and celebrate their culture and past.
This was an educational screening that allowed us to gain some perspective on the effects and trauma of the stolen generation. We also shared some delicious lunch catered by Plate Events & Catering