Pictured above: Cancer Council WA staff outside the Kings Park Botanical Gardens Education Centre.
NAIDOC Week celebrates the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
This year's theme was Heal Country!, which calls for all of us to continue to seek greater protections for our lands, our waters, our sacred sites and our cultural heritage from exploitation, desecration, and destruction.
As part of this celebration, over 50 of our staff attended a cultural awareness workshop at the Kings Park Botanical Gardens Education Centre.
During the event, staff had the opportunity to hear from Ricky Walley, one of Kings Park's Education Officers, and participate in a number of activities, which included:
- A Welcome to Country.
- Guided bushwalk with information about Noongar country and traditional/cultural practices, plant uses, and Noongar language.
- Enjoying a delicious afternoon tea, which included a variety of 'modern' foods infused with bush tucker ingredients.
- Learning about different types of Aboriginal artwork.
One of the highlights was when we were shown different types of Aboriginal artwork and used these techniques to create our own message sticks. Connection through storytelling and art is one of the most meaningful ways of relationship building within Aboriginal culture.
Overall, we had a great time learning about Wadjuk culture. A big thanks to Ricky and the Kings Park Botanical Gardens Education Centre team for providing an informative and engaging cultural awareness session.
Visit the NAIDOC website to learn more.
