The Hume community has turned out in force with over 160 people attending the beginning of NAIDOC Week celebrations at Town Hall Broadmeadows on Sunday 7 July.
NAIDOC (National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee) Week (July 7 – 14), now in its 49th year, celebrates the history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Hume City Council's NAIDOC Week Celebration was a jam-packed night of speakers, entertainers and community engagement, all in the spirit of staying on the path to reconciliation with our First Nations People.
Council has worked closely with Hume's Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) Working Group to bring to life the NAIDOC Week 2024 theme of "Keep the Fire Burning: Blak, Loud and Proud", on full display for Sunday's event, and set the tone to continue throughout NAIDOC Week.
The theme honours the enduring strength and vitality of First Nations culture – with fire a symbol of connection to Country, to each other, and to the rich tapestry of traditions that define Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Council staff and RAP Working Group members were honoured to be joined at Town Hall by Hume's proud Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members, our recognised Elders, and all those who came out to celebrate the oldest, continuous living culture on earth.
The event featured keynote speaker Alan Thorpe, Victoria's NAIDOC Male Elder of the Year 2023 and live music by renowned band the Stray Blacks. The NAIDOC Week Celebration has marked the beginning of a time to amplify the voices First Nations Peoples sharing their histories so that these stories created over 40,000 years are a source of modern pride for all in our community.
Hume Libraries' NAIDOC Week events provide a number of opportunities to learn more about NAIDOC Week and our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories.
You can also learn more about the work of Hume's Reconciliation plan working Group.
Quotes attributable to Hume City Mayor Cr Naim Kurt:
"We are privileged in this country to share land with the oldest continuous living culture on earth, and NAIDOC Week reminds us to continue to listen and learn so we can all benefit from that ancient and proud history."
"I have been a proud member of Hume's Reconciliation Action Plan Working Group for five years, and it's been a privilege during that time to foster relationships with our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to ensure Council Programs and Policies are true to the efforts of reconciliation."
