Image: Children in high vis vests gathered around a First Nations man and First Nations tools.
Sarina reflects on her first experience at a NAIDOC event and how it affected her.
I am somewhat embarrassed by the fact that this year was the first time I have attended a NAIDOC Week celebration event.
I was prompted to go this year because of all the chatter around the Voice to Parliament and the referendum. I wanted to learn more about what NAIDOC was about. It helped that the church was organising folks and it was easy to join in with them and go with people I knew.
So, what did I learn? Well, NAIDOC stands for National Aboriginal and Islanders Day Observance Committee*. It happens every year in July and is a celebration of all things Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander – history, culture and achievements. While it can be traced back to the 1938 Day of Mourning protest*, it became its own official weeklong event in 1975.
At the event I attended, hosted by Sutherland Shire Council at Gunnamatta Park, I saw a lot of folk who brought their kids down to enjoy the day. I saw fire trucks, the SES, police on horses, police with dogs and heard kids delight when they and the firies sounded their sirens.
I saw many local community service providers like Jannali based The Family Co., Cancer Council and Project Youth. Rotary provided a free sausage sizzle (donations welcome of course).
There was an art gallery to enjoy and the Sutherland Shire Library was there with loads of options for little and big kids to get into and enjoy.
I watched dancing, and heard the marvellous Aunty Deanna Schrieber share her thoughts on the theme Celebrating our Elders. She welcomed us to a beautiful day on God’s country and reminded us that everything we have comes from our elders. A young First Nations man, Hayden Charles, spoke of how important it was for the knowledge of elders to be continually passed on from generation to generation. We heard a song from Uncle Max. I can’t remember the name of the song yet the tune has become an enjoyable earworm. The highlight of the day for me was when Sienna Walker, a local First Nations woman, sung the national anthem acapella, in Dharawal language. It bought a warm tingly feeling to the skin and was a delight to the ears.
But what did all this actually mean to me, a white anglo 50 year old woman? How does celebrating indigenous culture affect my life or the ones I love? It comes down to this: my desire to stand in solidarity with anyone in my community who needs my support, whether it is my friend facing illness, my neighbours needing help carrying their shopping in from the car, supporting my local café or showing up to a NAIDOC event wearing a Yes badge. I want to be part of a society that cares for each other, and that starts with me.
*https://www.naidoc.org.au/about/history
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