Community
10 July, 2025
Indigenous culture celebrated
RESIDENTS gathered at the Wombeech Puyuun Reconciliation Park on Tuesday to mark NAIDOC Week, which began last Sunday.
Despite the wet weather and cold winds, a small crowd met at the park to mark the national week, which celebrates Indigenous culture.
Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation representative Tommy Clarke gave a Welcome to Country to kick off proceedings before speaking about the history of NAIDOC Week.
He said the celebration began as a protest day known as the Day of Mourning in 1938.
“As we mark this year’s NAIDOC Week, it’s important to remember where it all began,” Mr Clarke said.
“NAIDOC didn’t start as a celebration – it began as a protest.
“While the nation celebrated 150 years since the arrival of the First Fleet, a group of Aboriginal leaders gathered to call out the true legacy of the event – one of dispossession, exclusion and pain for our people.
“Out of that was born the Advancement League – they were probably one of the first organisations to kick off Aboriginal affairs and political ways.
“That was started off by some pretty famous fellas such as William Cooper and a few of our great aunties – they were trailblazers.”
The speech was accompanied by the reading of Indigenous-themed book ‘We are Australians’ by Nicole Godwin and Duncan Smith before residents walked from the park to the community flagpole beside the courthouse.
Residents then gathered around a fire pit for the flag raising ceremony before capping off the day with a second story and tea and damper.
Mr Clarke encouraged residents to participate in NAIDOC Week celebrations wherever they could.
“NAIDOC Week is very important to us – we treat it as a celebration these days and that’s the way we perceive things,” he said.
“There will be sadness and happiness and we’re okay with that.”
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