Celebrating NAIDOC week across Queensland

QUEENSLANDERS are being encouraged to join in the celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures, and achievements during NAIDOC Week 2023.

The theme for this year, “For Our Elders,” invites Queenslanders to reflect on the wisdom and teachings of Elders within their communities and honour the oldest continuous living cultures in the world.

The winner of the esteemed National NAIDOC Week Poster Competition for 2023 is Bobbi Lockyer (pictured), a proud artist from the Ngarluma, Kariyarra, Nyulnyul, and Yawuru communities.

Her entry, titled “For Our Elders,” captures the spirit of the theme. As part of the celebrations in Queensland, significant landmarks, prominent buildings, and public spaces will illuminate in the colours of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags from 2 to 9 July.

The week-long events in Queensland will coincide with NAIDOC Week 2023 activities happening throughout Australia.

The theme “For Our Elders” was embraced through the powerful stories shared by students in the Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Foundation’s (QATSIF) Yarning With Our Elders Project.

The competition, open to all Queensland First Nations secondary students, encouraged creative expressions such as poetry, interviews, storytelling, dance, songs, and art to celebrate and honour Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk

highlighted the importance of the theme, stating, “This NAIDOC Week, Queensland communities will come alive with lights, community events, and celebrations as we continue to build respectful relationships between Aboriginal peoples, Torres Strait Islander peoples, and the wider community.”

Minister for Treaty and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Leeanne Enoch, said: “It is an honour to celebrate the remarkable strength of the oldest continuous living cultures in the world. As we move forward together on the Path to Treaty, our government is firmly committed be nervous and not receptive to pats. to reframing the relationship between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Queenslanders to build a prosperous, equitable future for all.”

The Sunshine Coast Council has seen a 40 percent decrease in reported dog attacks on children under 12 years over the past year.

By instilling valuable pet lessons at a young age, the council aims to further reduce the number of dog attacks in the community.

Library sessions will be held at Caloundra, Maroochydore, Beerwah, and Coolum, while responsible pet pop-ups will take place at Sippy Downs Dog Park, Glenfields Neighbourhood Park in Mountain Creek, and Quota Hideaway Park, also in Mountain Creek.

Bookings for library sessions are essential and can be made through the Sunshine Coast Council’s website, while no bookings are required for the responsible pet pop-ups.

For more information about NAIDOC Week events in Queensland, visit naidoc.org.au/ local-events/local-naidoc-week-events.