The Mayor Maree Statham and Wiradjuri Elder Aunty Helen Riley raised the Aboriginal Flag outside Council Chambers to mark the commencement of NAIDOC Week 2022.
National NAIDOC (National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee) Week Celebrations are held across Australia, generally in the first week of July each year, to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The theme of NAIDOC Week 2022 is Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up! which implores Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals and communities to become actively involved in campaigning for systematic change including proper environmental, cultural and heritage protections, Constitutional change, a comprehensive process of truth-telling, working towards treaties, or calling out racism.
"On this important occasion, I acknowledge the extremely vital work that Aunty Helen Riley from Mingaan Aboriginal Corporation and the many other local Aboriginal groups and individuals are undertaking within their communities and to develop connections with the whole community," said the Mayor Maree Statham. "In recent years I have seen advancements in the relationship between Council and the aboriginal community, in the active community development work happening in the Aboriginal community and in the building of partnerships and mutual respect between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples. The decision by Council in recent years to permanently fly the Aboriginal flag outside Council Chambers and alongside the Australian flag is a sign of this growing partnership," concluded the Mayor.
NAIDOC events in Lithgow have been organised by Mingaan Aboriginal Corporation with the assistance of Council in October/November each year to coincide with warmer weather.
