The importance of NAIDOC Week

NAIDOC Week is a time to acknowledge the histories, cultures and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We celebrate the richness of First Nations cultures, the depth of their stories and the strength of their custodianship. This event is held each year during the first week of July and is an important annual event where every Australian is invited to join in the celebrations.

There is always a theme to celebrate NAIDOC week, with this year’s theme being For Our Elders. At Pymble, we celebrated with a special Secondary School assembly, segments in the Junior School assemblies, a fundraising bake sale for the charity Children’s Ground and several students reading books and sharing stories with girls in Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2.

NAIDOC means different things to different people and four of our First Nations students have kindly shared stories of their celebrations below. Please also watch this video where our First Nations girls explain what NAIDOC Week means to them.

We thank our First Nations students, staff and families for the open and generous way they share their cultures with our community.

“I love this time of year!”

NAIDOC Week is a time to celebrate the culture, history and achievements of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. I love this time of year because there are many fun celebrations and activities held in our community. In the holidays, there was a NAIDOC festival in my hometown of Walgett that included many stalls like painting and crafts for kids, yarning and weaving circles, traditional dances and Indigenous music played in the background. To finish off, there was a big lunch at the canteen filled with different curries and dampers. I then got to go back and learn about different native bush tucker with my nan (Granny Fox) and my dad.

Written by Evie (Year 8)

Celebrating First Nations cultures and histories

I love NAIDOC week because it’s a time where we can celebrate First Nations cultures and histories. In the holidays I went back to my primary school to help out with the NAIDOC activities. There were lots of different activities that others and I helped out with. At one of the stations there were different sausages such as crocodile, kangaroo and emu.

There were also biscuits and slices with native plants in them. My favourite was the lemon myrtle slice. There were also cookie decorations, and the children used icing to make the Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander flags. We had done the same at Pymble last year! I love sharing what I learn at school in my home community and vice versa. It’s great that we celebrate NAIDOC Week at Pymble after the school holidays which allows us to have two weeks of celebration each year!

Written by Ellie (Year 8)

“We thank them for not forgetting who they are”

My name’s Adison and I am a proud Gamilaraay and Wiradjuri woman from Narrabri, NSW. This year’s theme of NAIDOC Week is For Our Elders.

I really look up to my mother as an elder because she has taught me most of the things I know today, including traditions and historical events that have shaped Australia over the years. She told me about when the First Fleet came and stole our land, the Stolen Generations and many cultural histories over the years.

One specific story was about the Stolen Generations and how my great grandmother was too afraid to say that she was Aboriginal because she didn’t want her kids to be taken away from her, and how they didn’t believe she was Aboriginal because she was fair skinned.

Our Elders are the strong, compassionate and patient people that have taught us how to dance, sing, paint and learn. They listen to what we have to say and the stories that we have to tell, whilst also telling us stories of their own, and are the reason we still hold so much knowledge in our cultures. At the same time, however, we also wish we knew more. We thank them for not forgetting who they are and telling us stories and traditions to pass down to future generations.

Written by Adison (Year 9)

“I’m filled with a sense of pride”

As a proud Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, National Aborigines and Islanders’ Day Observance Committee, also known as NAIDOC, is a special time for me to celebrate my culture.  It allows people to come together to recognise the history and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, pay tribute to the strength of my Elders and promote respect and understanding. It is a chance for me to reclaim and preserve my identity while also educating others, fostering unity within the community and celebrating the obstacles we have overcome.

In my Queensland hometown of Cairns, we have four Traditional Owners groups: Yirrganydji, Djabugay, Gunggandji and Yidinji. NAIDOC celebrations are spread throughout Cairns over this special week and there are a number of community-run programs to help celebrate First Nations culture and educate the wider public. These include a NAIDOC March, special NAIDOC breakfast, combined church service, Elders luncheon, treat and truth-telling information sessions and NAIDOC in the Park, with the week wrapping up with  the traditional Cairns NAIDOC dinner.

The 2023 theme for NAIDOC is For Our Elders. Across every generation, our Elders have played and continue to play an important role. Elders hold a prominent place in our communities and families. Our First Nations Elders are cultural knowledge holders, trailblazers, nurturers, advocates, teacher, survivors, leaders, hard workers and our loved ones. Our Elders play a vital role in First Nations traditions due to their knowledge, expertise, and contributions to the preservation and continuance of ancient knowledge, customs, and practices. Our Elders are highly respected members of the community.

Whether I’m at home in Cairns, Queensland, at school here in NSW or if I’m in the more remote communities around Australia, my Elders play a significant role in my life and share their traditional knowledge and wisdom with me. They provide guidance and deep spirituality that influence my life for the better. 

Elders strengthen my families’ bonds and help keep us connected to the land, sea and animals. When my Elders talk to me, I feel more connection to my culture and I’m filled with a sense of pride. I feel more equipped with the knowledge of where I came from, my family name I represent and what I can accomplish and achieve in the future. I feel loved and supported by my Elders.

Written by Giselle (Year 11)