Mildura's NAIDOC Corroboree last year continues to advance reconciliation almost 12 months on after being nominated as a finalist for Reconciliation Victoria's 2020 HART Awards.
The HART (Helping Achieve Reconciliation Together) Awards were established in 2014 to recognise local governments and community organisations that advance reconciliation in Victoria.
Last year's Corroboree at Nowingi Place was an initiative of Mildura Rural City Council and the Aboriginal Action Committee (AAC).
Held on 7 July, it was designed to celebrate our region's rich traditional culture, while helping our community gain a greater understanding and appreciation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
The Corroboree has been shortlisted among 16 other finalists across Victoria.
Winners and highly commended initiatives will be announced on Friday 5 June this year during Reconciliation Week.
Nominations were submitted in March this year. They were judged on the way organisations work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to strengthen true reconciliation, awareness and education.
Initiatives also needed to illustrate the significance of Aboriginal culture and the importance it holds for the local community.
All submissions were endorsed by local members of their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community before being judged by Reconciliation Victoria.
Councillor for Community Development and Gender Equality Helen Healy congratulated both the organisers of the Corroboree and the broader Sunraysia community for making the event such a success.
"To be nominated as a finalist in Reconciliation Victoria's HART awards is a major achievement and shows that we're working in the right direction in terms of the local reconciliation journey," Cr Healy said.
"It's also just reward for the tireless efforts of everyone involved in the success of last year's Corroboree, which really was a community effort.
"From those involved in running the event, to the many people who attended and showed their willingness to not only learn about our region's traditional culture, but help celebrate it."
