NAIDOC Week offers cultural celebration for whole community

Everyone is invited to come along to this free celebration on Monday, July 8, at 10am in the Civic Precinct.

Mayor Greg Williamson said the flag raising ceremony and morning tea was a tremendous tradition that kicked off council’s local NAIDOC celebrations in a way that unified the community.

“This is a wonderful event that brings our community together to celebrate Indigenous culture, history and diversity,” Mayor Williamson said.

“It’s always fantastic to have the community share their culture with performances from the Tchundal Malar Aboriginal Dancers, Mackay Torres Strait Islander Dancers and local Didgeridoo player Lyndon Francis,” he said.

Following the flag raising ceremony, community is invited to the Yuwi Corporation Film Festival at the Dudley Denny City Library at 1pm.

The film festival promises a relaxing afternoon showcasing a variety of Indigenous short films.

Local Indigenous artist Leon Namai will also be an “artist in residency” at Mackay Regional Council Libraries during NAIDOC Week as he gradually puts a masterpiece together and shares the story behind his artwork.

Residents can speak with him and view his work in progress at Dudley Denny City Library from Tuesday, July 9, to Thursday, July 11, from 9.30am to 11am.

Leon Namai’s works will also be on display at Gordon White Library (July 1 to 14) and Dudley Denny City Library (July 15 to 31).

Finally, there will be a NAIDOC movie screening at Dudley Denny City Library on Thursday, July 11.  The movie will be Gurrumul, the story of celebrated Indigenous artist Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu.

Local community organisations will also be hosting a series of activities and events, including an Elders Morning Tea, the Mr and Miss NAIDOC event, a NAIDOC youth fashion parade and plenty more. All the details can be found on the NAIDOC; Mackay and District Facebook page.

The week will culminate in the NAIDOC Street Parade to Queens Park on Friday, July 12.

Assembly for the street parade will be at 9am in Macalister Street for the commencement of the march at 10am.

The march will finish at Queens Park about 11am where there will be a showcase of cultural performances and cultural food stalls for the NAIDOC Family Fun Day. About 60 community and cultural information stalls will be onsite until 3pm.

The 2024 National NAIDOC Week theme is “Keep the fire burning! Blak, loud and proud”.

This theme honours the enduring strength and vitality of First Nations culture – with fire a symbol of connection to Country, to each other, and of the rich tapestry of traditions that define Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Image: The Mackay Torres Strait Islander Dancers are one of the groups who proudly share their culture during the NAIDOC Flag Raising Ceremony.