NAIDOC Week 2023
04 Jul 2023
Yesterday the George Town Council, in partnership with George Town’s local Indigenous community, celebrated NAIDOC Week 2023 with a Welcome to Country and Flag Raising in front of the Memorial Hall on Macquarie Street at 11:00am. Kai and Kobi Griffiths presented the palawa people’s Welcome to Country and spoke about the 2023 theme – For Our Elders. Across every generation, the Elders have played, and continue to play, an important role and hold a prominent place in our communities and families. They are cultural knowledge holders, trailblazers, nurturers, advocates, teachers, survivors, leaders, hard workers and our loved ones.
The Welcome to Country and Flag Raising Ceremony was followed by a wonderful performance of traditional Aboriginal dancing performed by Sophie Brown, Pixie Watson and Erica Clark and a Smoking Ceremony. This was the first time we held the NAIDOC Smoking Ceremony in the newly developed Regent Square, now equipped with a ceremonial fire pit. Only the week before, ten local Indigenous youth had the opportunity to participate in two workshops hosted by Djuker Hart, where the students further developed their cultural awareness and learned some contemporary Aboriginal dance skills.
George Town Council would like to thank everyone and Councillor’s who attended today as we embark on our Reconciliation journey with our Indigenous community. We would like to especially thank Council’s Aboriginal Community Liaison Officer, Susan Mansell, who conducted the smoking ceremony, coordinated the student artworks exhibition in the Jim Mooney Gallery, and prepared various Aboriginal cuisine for all to sample and enjoy and kelp workshops held later in the week.
We would also like to thank Kai and Kobi Griffiths, who raised the Aboriginal and Australian Flags.
Council has committed $20k in the 2023/2024 budget to further progress actions in our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). View the RAP HERE
In 2023, how will you celebrate For Our Elders?