A range of activities will be held across the Mid Coast to celebrate one of the most important weeks on the national calendar.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
NAIDOC Week will be held between July 7 and 14, with many communities events scheduled to recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in coherence with this year's theme 'Voice, Treaty, Truth'.
MidCoast Council's Lyndie Hepple said the week is a community celebration of Indigenous culture.
"We have a diverse, strong and passionate Aboriginal population across the Mid Coast and NAIDOC Week is a great opportunity for members of the community to really showcase their culture," Lyndie said.
MidCoast Council mayor David West said NAIDOC Week is a vital part of helping to action real change.
"All Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a unique, highly important place in society today and in Australia's history," Cr West said.
"This year's theme is a poignant reminder that we still have a long way to go to achieve an agreed, shared understanding of past events, but that the voice is getting louder and more and more people are listening."
The week will officially kick off with a gathering at Purfleet Community Church on Sunday, July 7.
A Sunday school for children will run between 9.30am and 10.30am, followed by a church service from 11am to 1pm.
On Monday, there will be flag-raising events at the Taree and Forster MidCoast Council chambers.
These events will include cultural dancers, didgeridoo playing, singing in traditional language and smoking ceremonies.
Forster's ceremony starts at 10am with Taree's to follow at 10.30am.
Taree Indigenous Development and Employment (TIDE) will hold a march down Victoria Street before the Taree ceremony at 10am.
Another highlight of the week will be the cultural tours, planned for Saltwater National Park and Minimbah Gardens, Gloucester River Park.
Aunty Fay and Gavin Clark will lead the Saltwater tour, while Worimi elder Glenn Jones will teach the participants at the Gloucester event about bush foods and how the gardens are an important Aboriginal meeting place. Both tours run from 10am to 12pm.
The annual police versus community touch football games will be held at Purfleet Oval on July 9 and at Forster Cabarita Flats the following day.
A 'cultural cruise' will be held on July 9 at Forster while the Sea Bellies NAIDOC exhibition will open at 11am that day at Manning Regional Art Gallery.
Community fun days will be held at Taree's Queen Elizabeth Park on July 10 from 11am and Forster's Cabarita Flats the following day.
Bushland Community Hub will be thumping on July 11. A youth disco will be held from 5.30pm to 7.30pm for juniors and 7.30pm to 9.30pm for high school students.
A men's golf day will be held at Forster on July 12 before the annual NAIDOC awards night at Taree's Exchange Waterfront Function Centre from 7pm that night.
Club Forster will host a Debutante Ball from 4pm on July 13. Tickets are available from Homebase Forster.
The NAIDOC Fashion Show will take place from 7pm that night at the Winning Post Function Centre.
The week will close out at Gloucester's Billabong Park on July 14 with a community fun day. The event runs from 10am to 2pm.
For further information on events in Taree, contact Leonie Morcome at Biripi ACMC on 0455 856 885 or Purfleet Taree Local Aboriginal Land Council on 6552 4106.
For more information for Forster and Tuncurry contact Margie Donnelly on 0407 891 631, and for Gloucester call Amber Galvin on 0400 582 141.
