Earlier this month the Act for Kids team across the state were busy celebrating NAIDOC Week from South West Queensland all the way up to Far North Queensland with family fun days, community activities and committee meetings.
The annual cultural week is held in the first full week of July. It is a time to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, culture and achievements and is an opportunity to recognise the contributions that Indigenous Australians make to our country and our society.
This years celebrations featured the theme “We all Stand on Sacred Ground: Learn, Respect and Celebrate which is about highlighting Indigenous Australians strong spiritual and cultural connection to the land and sea.
Highlights from this years festivities included a NAIDOC Family Fun Day held at Gympie Civic Centre, attracting over 2,000 locals. Cooloola Aboriginal Services Incorporated (CASI) hosted a fantastic day of entertainment, with traditional dancing, storytelling, face painting and a special cake revealing this years NAIDOC theme.
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 Indigenous Australians.
At the end of every NAIDOC Week, the National NAIDOC Awards are announced to recognise the outstanding contributions of Indigenous Australians.
We would like to congratulate the ten Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians who were honoured at the 2015 National NAIDOC Awards Ceremony in Adelaide on 10 July.
- Youth of the Year – Chris Tamwoy
- Apprentice of the Year – Ashley Farrall
- Artist of the Year – Daren Dunn
- Caring for Country – Warddeken Caring for Country Project
- Female Elder of the Year – Veronica Perrule Dobson
- Male Elder of the Year – Graham Taylor
- Lifetime Achievement Award – Tauto Sansbury
- Person of the Year – Rosalie Kunoth Monks
- Scholar of the Year – Michelle Deshong
- Sportsperson of the Year – Ryan Morich