'For Our Elders' 2023 NAIDOC Week
NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal people to acknowledge and honour Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and culture, celebrate the valuable contributions that Indigenous Australians have made and continue to make to our communities and to our nation. It is a time to reflect on the past, learn from it and look forward to the future together.
NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee.
Its origins can be traced to the emergence of Aboriginal groups in the 1920′s which sought to increase awareness in the wider community of the status and treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians
In 1938, protestors marched through the streets of Sydney. The congress which followed this protest was attended by over a thousand people and is recognised as one of the first major civil rights gatherings in the world.
The Day of Mourning continued to be held on the Sunday before Australia Day from 1940 to 1955 and was referred to by the wider Australian public as Aborigines Day.
In 1975 the decision was made to make the NAIDOC events and celebrations last over the entire week.
NAIDOC continues to be held annually and each year is assigned a theme intended to shed light on important issues and events within Indigenous communities.
The NAIDOC Week Theme for 2023 is ‘For Our Elders’. Our Elders play an extremely important role in our lives. They are cultural knowledge holders, trailblazers, nurturers, advocates, teachers, survivors, leaders, hard workers and most importantly, our loved ones.
Our loved ones who pick us up in our low moments and celebrate with us in our high ones. Who cook us a feed to comfort us and pull us into line, when we need them to.
To celebrate our Elders, our Aboriginal students created a beautiful Assembly to share with our school community.
I would like to thank all who attended, and those who were involved, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students and staff, as we celebrated the significant impact our Elders have had on our families and our communities.
We would like to thank our special guests, our Elders and families who were present at the assembly and to those who have gone before us for paving our path, for guiding us, for loving us and for fighting for us.
I encourage you all to explore NAIDOC Week events in your area. Please have a blessed holiday and Happy NAIDOC Week.
Michelle Lemeki - Aboriginal Education Coordinator
