Published on Wednesday, 13 July 2022 at 9:50:01 AM
National NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia in the first week of July each year, celebrating and recognising the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The week of festivities is an opportunity for all Australians to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth.
The Shire of Coolgardie’s celebrations kicked off with a jam-packed mix of art and craft stations in the Kambalda Public Library on Monday, 4th July and many more activities were to follow as part of the annual celebration with community members joining in throughout the week
Part of our craft activities were bark dot art painting, animal and hand print dot painting, yarn sticks, creation of jig saw boomerangs and Aboriginal rock art – open to all ages and enjoyed by so many families and individuals visiting the library. A collaboration of art was the final result of everyone’s efforts by adding their craft to the Aboriginal flag being created on the first day, making for the most wonderful addition to our library now showcased in the young readers space.
On another day a taste of bush tucker was on offer with traditional damper being prepared and even the Kambalda Police officers lend a helping hand or joined the children throughout the School Holiday program.
A casual BBQ with service provider BEGA Garnbirringu Health Services coming to town and setting up in the Kambalda West Lions Park on a rather cold and sunny morning added to the wonderful community spirit of celebrations in the theme “Get up – Stand Up- Show up.” With all the entertainment and give-aways, in their own word the children had the “best fun ever”.
LEGO Dots certainly was the one activity that intrigued all Kambalda brick lovers. With the creative programme running for three days, the wonderful piece of art established by multiple talented dot artists, can now be viewed in the Kambalda Public Library. Seeing all children having so much fun creating the message board, has us already excited to bring the activity out on another occasion.
Another highlight throughout the celebrations was the delivery of a Dream time story time presented by Rose Mitchell, Chairperson of Judumul Aboriginal Corporation. The magical story "The awesome Emu" followed by an animal scratch art activity, gathered quite a crowd, and had everyone in awe that morning.
The final program set out to bring Indigenous Rhymes and Crafts to Kambalda, almost had to be cancelled with author and illustrator duo Sara and Elvis unable to attend due to quarantine guidelines but the pair came up with a brilliant idea to save the day. Modern technology made it possible to bring the programme to our library by having it streamed and on auto play for all visitors to enjoy. The sound of the didgeridoo played by Elvis added a very special atmosphere to the library and the true spirit of NAIDOC could be felt. Some onlookers even joined in the playful games Elvis and Sara had prepared for them. We are now planning to welcome both Sara Whincup and Elvis Moody to join us for the CBCA book week celebrations in August instead.
With the colouring in competition on its last day, all completed entries can be viewed in the young readers area of the Kambalda Public Library before the lucky winners will be chosen. If you haven't submitted yours yet, please do so by close of business day 12 July 2022.
We would like to take this opportunity to give a very big and heartfelt thank you to all service providers, community members young and old and many visitors that just popped in to make our week-long event a true success enjoyed by so many.
We would like to respectfully acknowledge the Traditional Owners of this land and thank everyone for celebrating NAIDOC Week 2022 in the Shire of Coolgardie.
If you have missed the week of activities, please take a look at all the wonderful photos and already pencil in the week in your calendar for next year. “Get Up, Stand Up, Show Up!” Wow, what a wonderful week it's been.
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