NAIDOC Week ran across the country in July this year and was an occasion for all Australians to come together to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, however celebrations are not limited to just this week only. The oldest continuing cultures on the planet deserve ongoing recognition and the Wolgan Valley will play host to this year's Mingaan NAIDOC Day celebrations.
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The theme for this years event is "Voice, Treaty, Truth", and the celebrations will take place on Saturday, October 19 at the Cranbrook School Wolgan Valley Campus at 1860 Wolgan Valley Road. Starting at 10am, the official opening ceremony will include a Welcome to Country conducted by Sharon Riley along with a smoking ceremony featuring Aunty Di, Uncle Ralph and the Yalmambirra Boogijoon Doolin dancers.
Lunch will be held at 12.00pm and feature plenty of bush tucker along with live music and cultural demonstrations including roping, weaving and dance. The day will also include stalls, historical displays and nature displays including the Taronga Zoo Mobile, cultural displays and demonstrations, workshops, and live music featuring Uncle Col Hardy.
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In the evening a bush dinner with live music, indigenous astronomy and camp fire yarning will be held (pending fire restrictions). Given that 2019 is being celebrated as the United Nations International Year of Indigenous Languages, it is a great time for Indigenous voices and knowledge to be heard. "Voice, Treaty, Truth" were three key elements to the reforms set out in the "Uluru Statement from the Heart" and these reforms represent the unified position of First Nations Australians.
The 2018 Lithgow NAIDOC celebrations took place at the Capertee 'Port Macquarie' Homestead and followed the theme for this year was 'Because Of Her We Can'. The event was a great success with people travelling from as far as Canberra, Gilgandra, Lithgow, Kandos and Rylstone to attend the celebration of the Wiradjuri culture with song, dance and a rang of artistic activities, and the organisers of the 2019 event are looking forward to a similar inspirational experience.