Acknowledgement of Country

Day good people. We are from Delroy Campus in Dubbo.

We’d like to acknowledge we’re standing on Wiradjuri land.

We acknowledge the traditional country you are meeting on today.

We respect Elders past and present and are thankful for all they share, as this keeps our fire burning Blak, loud and proud.

Thank you, later.

Murat Dizdar

Hello colleagues it’s Murat Dizdar,

I’m coming to you from the lands on the Dharug people. I’m on their beautiful homelands at Kellyville Public School. I want to pay my respects to their ongoing custodianship of our beautiful school here in the lands that we’re on. I want to pay my respects to their Elders, past and present, and I want to extend that respect to Aboriginal colleagues who are joining us on this message, and the Homelands that you’re on as well.

Well, I’ve had a fantastic visit at Kellyville Public School, an outstanding school led by Jenny Walker and her team. A school that’s been providing an outstanding public education provision for well over a hundred and fifty years and punching well above its weight producing phenomenal student outcomes.

Colleagues, NAIDOC Week is obviously very fast approaching, and whether you celebrate it at the end of term 2 or the commencement of term 3, I know it to be a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the history, the ongoing culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

It’s a fantastic theme the year for NAIDOC Week. The theme is Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud. This recognises the enduring legacy of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Not only have they preserved their culture, but they continue to ignite passion in others by sharing their practices and teaching us about their histories. It’s a tremendous impact and I’m so proud to see this reflected in our school communities all over New South Wales.

Indeed, a big shout-out to where I am at Kellyville Public School. They do Aboriginal education and First Nations understanding immensely well. I love getting out to your schools to see the many different ways you do celebrate NAIDOC Week whether it be at your assemblies learning new songs in local languages or inviting our Elders out to speak with your students and staff.

These events are very very important. I’m of the firm view that I always teach me something new and they highlight how public education keeps the fire burning through passing down knowledge and stories to future generations.

It’s an honour. It’s a real privilege to learn about the oldest continuing culture in the world. Our Elders and knowledge holders not only share this wisdom with great care and pride, but they ensure that we embrace it as a shared history and culture.

This week, we are pleased to present a series of videos aligned to this year’s theme. They’ll share the history of NAIDOC Week and tell us a little bit more about how the fire started, how it feels social changed and shaped the way that we celebrate NAIDOC Week today.

We will shine a light on the excellent work at Lake Cargelligo Central School showcasing the partnership between Elders, the community, and the school in inspiring their students and supporting their great success as they process post School pathways.

We’ll meet some of our incredible Aboriginal students and staff from across the state and hear more about their fantastic achievements as well as look at some of the initiatives that are unfurling across our schools to bolster that sense of belonging and enhance learning outcomes.

Our education support staff have created some fantastic resources to help your schools with their NAIDOC Week activities. I want to thank them and encourage all of you to jump onto our website to take a look.

NAIDOC Week is a time for us in public education to galvanise as a community to come together and to celebrate and reflect on the rich history of our nation. It's a time to reflect on the enduring strength and courage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to recognise the powerful impact that comes with embedding their heritage and culture into our communities.

I look forward to participating in the many fantastic NAIDOC Week events across our public school this year. Thank you for everything you're doing and keep that fire burning. Go well.

Trey Cubby-Ferguson

Yama. I’m Trey Cubby-Ferguson, I’m proud to be Gamilaraay & Murrawarri.

I’d like to acknowledge the Wiradjuri nation all other nations this meeting is being held today. I respect Elders past-and present. I acknowledge teachers and students.

This year’s NAIDOC theme is ‘Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud.’ When I think about keeping the fire burning, I think about our old people, about the struggles and injustices they faced but they didn’t give up, they lit the fire for us to keep burning for generations to come.

Today I would like to tell you about NAIDOC and how it came to be. Our Country was not always a good place for Aboriginal people to be, even though we have lived here for thousands of years and have cared for these lands, keeping them strong and healthy.

For Aboriginal people, we see our Country as our Mother, something that grows us up and we have a responsibility to care for her.

Our Old People have been caring for her for many years but in 1788, colonisation happened, and things changed. Our land was taken from us, and we were no longer able to live freely, speak our language, practice our cultural ways, and look after our Country in the way we knew how. Our rights were stripped away from us, and a lot of policies were put in place to control us.

But our old people were strong and resilient, and they never stopped fighting for us to be able to live healthy, happy equitable lives here on the lands we call home.

There are many special people in history that have fought hard for us to have fair and equal rights in our Country.

These people have shown strength, courage, and persistence, keeping our languages and culture strong and ensuring our people had what they needed to live healthy happy lives.

It is important that we acknowledge them. Today I will tell you about just a few of our heroes and what they did for our people.

Before I start, the word “Aboriginies” is used. It refers to the name given from the past however it isn’t used today as it is offensive.

Aunty Pearl Gibbs was a female Aboriginal activist who campaigned for Aboriginal rights for over 50 years.

Aunty Pearl was dedicated to ending discrimination against Aboriginal people.

She became a public speaker on issues important to women and children and wrote articles for newspapers.

She also played a major role in organising the 1938 Day of Mourning which I will talk about later.

Uncle Jack Patten was another powerful voice for Aboriginal people. Because of the poor treatment of his people, he convinced a big majority of residents to leave Cummeragunja Station, in an event which would become known as the Cummeragunja Walk-off.

Uncle Jack Patten was once arrested for "inciting Aborigines", meaning he was arrested for encouraging Aboriginal people to stand up and have their voices heard.

Uncle William Cooper was an inspirational Aboriginal leader in New South Wales and Victoria in the early part of the 20th century.

He was a founding secretary of the “Australian Aborigines’ League”, which was created to lobby state and federal governments on behalf of Aboriginal people, making sure their voices were heard.

Uncle William Cooper also played an important role in organising the 1938 Day of Mourning.

These actions, inspired generations of activists working for justice for Aboriginal people in Australia.

Aunty Shirley Colleen Smith more commonly known as Mum Shirl was a Wiradjuri woman.

She was a social worker and activist, who is celebrated for her contribution to the welfare of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in New South Wales, for which she was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire and the Order of Australia.

She is recognised as one of the Australian National Living Treasures, and named Aboriginal person of the Year in 1990. Mum Shirl also helped to set up the Aboriginal Legal Service, Aboriginal Medical Service, Aboriginal Housing Company, Aboriginal Tent Embassy, and the Aboriginal Children’s Service.

She visited Aboriginal people in jail and supported those who were unfamiliar with the legal system. Her nickname “Mum Shirl” came about because when the police or court officials would question who she was, she would always say "I’m his mum.”

I would now like to now talk about another very important person. Someone who is special to me. My great great great grandfather.

He is a man by the name of William Ferguson. Bill as he was sometimes known, was an Aboriginal man, who was a strong activist for Aboriginal people. He was born in 1882 in Darlington Point, NSW.

He was a proud Wiradjuri man but from a young age he began to see the sad and unfair ways Aboriginal people were treated and became determined to stand up for his people and bring about change.

During the 1920s, Bill became frustrated with the powers that the New South Wales Aborigines Protection Board had, which allowed Aboriginal children to be taken away from their families, purely because they were of Aboriginal decent.

Aboriginal people had very little to no say over their own welfare and sadly suffered many atrocities.

In 1936, the government changed the policy to increase the powers of the “Aborigines Protection Board”, because of this, Bill decided it was time to act.

In 1937 the “Aborigines Progressive Association” (APA) was founded in New South Wales by William Ferguson and a group of Aboriginal activists, including, Uncle William Cooper, Uncle Jack Patten and Auntie Pearl Gibbs, The APA became a driving force to fight against systemic discrimination and injustices faced by Aboriginal Australians.

The APA played a crucial role in laying the groundwork for the modern Indigenous rights movement in Australia. The association aimed to address a range of issues affecting Aboriginal communities, including land rights and citizenship rights.

Up until 1967 Aboriginal people were classed as Flora and Fauna in our Country and were not even recognised under the constitution as Australian citizens. They were not provided with equal access to education and healthcare.

Australia had a policy called the Exclusion on Demand Policy, which was created in 1902. This policy ordered teachers in all 2800 government schools to exclude Aboriginal children from school if non-Aboriginal parents complained about them being in their child’s classroom. This policy was only abolished in 1972.

These were the things that our Old People fought so hard to change. They did this in many ways including presenting petitions to the Australian Government demanding equal citizenships rights and putting an end to discriminatory policies, holding protests and conferences simply advocating for Aboriginal rights.

One of the most prominent acts of activism happened in 1938 to mark the 150th anniversary of British colonization in Australia. This event was organised by the APA and was known as the 1938 Day of Mourning.

William Ferguson was quoted saying “We ask you to study the problem from the Aborigines point of view… we ask only for justice, decency, and fair play. Surely your hearts and minds are not so calloused that you will refuse to consider your policy of degrading and humiliating and exterminating old Australia’s Aborigines.”

According to the Dictionary of Sydney, ‘it was, the first national Aboriginal civil rights gathering and represents the most clearly identifiable beginning of the contemporary Aboriginal political movement’.

The Day of Mourning then became an annual event for Aboriginal people and their supporters. The Sunday before Australia Day was set aside, but over time, this was shifted to July and eventually evolved into NAIDOC week.

NAIDOC is now deemed a time to celebrate and recognise the rich history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islander people.

NAIDOC Week 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. This would not have happened without the strength and perseverance of our warriors who never gave up the fight. I’m grateful to them and feel very proud of this.

The 1938 Day of Mourning protest inspired many more political events that were focused on improving equality for Aboriginal People.

Events such as in 1964 -1965 Aboriginal student Charlie Perkins lead a group of fellow Sydney University student activists in the NSW Freedom Rides. This event exposed the discrimination and mistreatment of Aboriginal People in Australia.

Then in 1966, 200 Aboriginal workers, working on Wave Hill station in the Northern Territory walked off the job. This was to protest their unequal work and pay conditions, as Aboriginal people could be paid a lot less than non-Aboriginal people or sometimes not be paid at all for the hard work that they did.

The ‘Wave Hill Walk-Off’ drew attention nationally, once again to the poor treatment of Aboriginal people.

In 1967, Aboriginal rights activists finally succeeded in their decade-long battle for Aboriginal citizenships.

In the 1967 Referendum, Australia finally voted YES to change the Australian constitution to recognise Aboriginal people as citizens in a country that they have belonged to long before British settlement. This meant Aboriginal people were able to be counted in the national census and be subject to the same Commonwealth laws as all other European Australians.

As I reflect on the history of our Country and the importance of remembering and acknowledging our old people for all that they have achieved and fought so hard for.

I think especially about William Ferguson, and while I am proud of all our heroes, I have a special place for him and feel honoured to share his story with you today.

Our history is rich with stories like this, it is our shared history and I encourage you to read, watch and learn all that you can about our culture and the story of this Country.

I also invite you to celebrate and share with us the beauty of our culture and ways for we are the oldest living culture on the continent.

So once again I remind you to think about this year’s NAIDOC theme and I ask you to ask yourself this .... “What are you going to do to keep the fire burning?”

[End transcript]

Acknowledgement of Country

Jingiwallah (hello)

Here is the land. Here is the sky. Here are my friends and here am I.

We acknowledge the Bundjalung Nation. Our past and present Elders who are our leaders and our Jarjums, who are our future leaders, on whose land we play, learn and grow.

Today we are honoured to be sitting here at Murrin Bridge Preschool. This is a very special preschool that is a former Aboriginal mission and home to less than 100 people.

Many of the children that attend Murrin Bridge Preschool travel out from Lake Cargelligo, Aunty Merl is always on hand as their trusty bus driver to get the kids safely to and from to preschool.

The Murrin Bridge community has been working with partners to build the Murrin Bridge Preschool Community Hub which will also give residents access to banking, Centrelink, health, housing, and employment services, some of which will be available for the first time.

Today we will be having a chat with some of our very special Elders who have lots of yarns about growing up out here on the mission.

Aunty Kay, can you tell us who’s your Mob is and where are you from?

Aunty Kay

I can, I’m Ngiyampaa people me, on my mother’s side my mob, my mother comes from Euabalong, I’ve lived here all my life I’m a Wiradjuri woman Barkindji mob, so we have the three different tribes, I’m a Ngiyampaa and Wiradjuri too. My mum was Ngiyampaa and my dad was Wiradjuri.

Well, I’m a Wemba Wemba too.

Yeah, that’s right.

That’s where my father comes from.

Yes, that’s right Aunty Merle.

Aunty Merle what was it like growing up on the Mission?

Aunty Merle

It was very hard, we never had the things what you got today, we had no shoes here years ago.

I don’t think um the kids realise how lucky they are today compared to when you’s was growing up.

That’s my thought too, cause I can remember walking that road to get on a bus just to go to netball on the weekend in the freezing cold.

And I was only in primary school, but I had the likes of Cheryl and Jenny and all them looking out for the younger ones and making a big fire at the ramp to wait for the bus to come and pick us up and take us to sport.

Students

Were you’s taught culture in school?

Aunty Merle

No, never learnt it and we not that old either, mostly trying to get an education but then the culture too, we never learnt how to speak it, we never had time to learn from them old people.

Never ever, never learnt it, but today it’s in the school and it’s a good thing.

Even when I was growing up, you like celebrated NAIDOC day but that was once a year, like we never was taught language or dance or, I’ve heard the Elders talk it but never ever been taught ourselves and ah its um, it’s sad that we can’t go out in our community and ask the likes of you’s to teach our kids language when you’s wasn’t taught, when we didn’t learn it ourselves.

Students

Murrin Bridge Preschool seems very special what do you’s like about it Aunties?

Aunty

It is a special place, the kids know ah, learn about their culture compared to Aunt to when you was in the old preschool.

Students

How was it different compared to working in the old preschool to now and what’s changed?

Aunty

I don’t see the changes much to when I went in but then it was you know, they didn’t be there not till they had about 4 that’s how many. Then the ones that went to that preschool their kids have come here.

Aunty

Yeah, that’s what I was gunna say, you know look at, you know all the kids, all the kids that are, that had their children in our preschool here in the new one, they would have been they would have been at our old, like they was at our old preschool.

The parents of the kids that was over there, now their generational kids are at this one.

Two different preschools um obviously um a lot, you know these these um educators in this school are a lot younger than what the ones were over there.

So, there’d be, you got um you know you got a lot of knowledge now with those younger ones that have to do it, all of their training but you know it’s, um its outstanding to see what these kids are being taught through their education leaders.

With the old preschool there was hardly any non-Aboriginal kids but now when you look at it, we have so many different cultures that are inside this little preschool here now.

Students

And how do the kids get to Murrin Bridge preschool from in town?

Aunty

Ohh I’m the bus driver! [Laughs]

Welcome to Lake Cargelligo Central School, we will now have a look at some of the wonderful things happening here.

Students

Good morning Mrs Cooper, could you please tell us who your mob is and where you from?

Mrs Cooper

I'm Mrs Cooper. I'm the Principal at Lake Cargelligo Central School, your school. And my mob is from Wagga. I've lived and worked on the Wiradjuri lands all of my life.

Students

So, a lot of special stuff happening at school at the moment can you please tell us what’s so special about them?

Mrs Cooper

Well, I think at our school we have lots of great things for all the students, I am really proud of the work that we're doing with Aboriginal education. I really have taken advice in my leadership and the way that we do things from Aunty Josie in our school.

She would say to everyone here and I'd agree that she's my big boss and she's the one that I really take my guidance from, and I think that's important.

We have lots of special things going on, I know we have Clontarf in our school and our Yinaagang girls program, but I know we embed culture and do a lot of amazing things in the classroom, including bush schools in our younger years.

But also, opportunities for students to really thrive across the curriculum and be proud of and deadly Aboriginal students, and you know what, I learn a lot from you too.

I think that's important to take, you know, what we do at our school from you students so, I know we've had some yarns and conversations and I listened to those things, and I think that's really important to say that our schooling and, you know, what we do at Lake is shaped by what you want for your future too.

Students

Can you tell us what your hopes and dreams are for the school?

Mrs Cooper

My hopes and dreams is that all of you thrive, that you find something a sense of belonging at our school that you know that you are known valued and cared for, and for me as a Principal, I think that we're doing a lot of great things, but we can always do more.

I know that I'm learning a lot about Aboriginal education everyday that I'm at school, and I reach out to all the knowledge holders in our school and in our community and our Elders as well and I think that's really important.

I think my hopes and dreams are that we continue to grow, that we, you know, support all of our students but especially Aboriginal students so that they you know that education and what you get from it is what, we're guided by what you're saying.

I that I learn about what is best for Aboriginal students from our Elders and from Aunty Josie and from Aunty Kirst and from all our Aboriginal staff in the school as well.

My hopes and dreams is that you just have the most, the best education and you get the most out of your life after school.

Students

Hi Aunty Josie, who’s your mob and where do you come from?

Aunty Josie

My mum was a Nyiampaa woman, and my dad was a Wiradjuri man and I lived at Murrin Bridge grew up out there before moving into Lake Cargelligo.

Students

Can you tell us about the Yinaagang program and tell us how it has come about?

Aunty Josie

So were at a regional AECG meeting talking about girls program, because there's always programs for boys which we not long started Clontarf and we wanted something for our girls.

So, coming back from that regional AECG meeting Kirsten our SLSO had put a program together which started as Yinaagang which means Wiradjuri for girl.

She put that program together and the girls have never looked back, they had support from Kirsten, it was played a big part.

Myself, Miss Cooper, without the help of Miss Cooper our program wouldn't have got up running.

But I'm so proud of the program and our girls. Yinaagang girls group has helped me out a lot that.

I wasn't attending school, but now things have changed since We've got our own Yinaagang girls group So now I'm attending school and achieving goals

Students

What have been some of the results have seen since the program started?

Aunty Josie

We had an opening day for our Yinaagang program when we first launched it, we invited parents and community members and staff members.

It was a big success. After that launch. One of the girl's parents came up to us and said that their daughter was looking at going to university which made us so proud.

She was primary aged now she's secondary. Our attendance have picked up with our girls, our rapport with each staff member at our school has picked up.

And it's just um, we had that word shame a lot in our school but since the program we don't even hear that word shame at our school anymore. So, I'm very proud of each and every one of our girls that join Yinaagang.

Students

What are some of the hopes and dreams for the girls that are a part of it?

Aunty Josie

I hope that if we get one of our girls to go to uni, that would be a big plus, but they all have their goals, so I hope all their goals they set from coming to Yinaagang program, I hope they come true. If not go onto uni, I hope they get a job or do something that they like doing.

Students

Hey Uncle Minya, who’s your mob and where are you from?

Uncle Minya Harris

My name is Minya Harris, and I am a proud Barkindji and Ngiyampaa man born and raised in Lake Cargelligo.

I was reared up here I've done all my fun stuff in this great community with great role models around me. On top of that I was School Captain as well. I love Lake Cargelligo. I love the school.

I love the kids. I love my colleagues, everyone, and that's why I'm passionate about what I do and that's why I do it today, so.

Students

Why is it important for teachers to learn about Country?

Uncle Minya Harris

Good question! Yeah, I was fortunate enough over the last few years with the team that I work with that we had the privilege of working on Country at Lake Cargelligo. It's been happening for quite a number a years now before that nothing, and I think having the right Principal on board is, yeah fabulous. And I think no teachers sort of worked on Country before until they sort of come here, and to learn on Country we've had a success over 3, 4 years now.

The positive feedback, great feedback that's been led from you know, the Aboriginal workers within the school Aunty Josie, Kirsten, myself and we couldn't have done that without Miss Cooper so, we run programs on Country like the Ochre Pits here, we have our Scar Tree, we talk to them about the importance of the Scar Tree, the freshwater middens and just making them, you know, giving them an understanding of Aboriginal people today.

Students

Can you tell me about my Bush School?

Uncle Minya Harris

Bush School, we sort of implemented this at the start of this year. It's going along really great, what we are running at the moment is connect. So, we done connect the country in the first term where we take the kids away from the school and bring them down via the lakes and then we have our yarn and circle We have a bit of a chat and sort of reflect why the water ways are important to us.

Why are the tree's important to us and like our Mother Earth and it's just getting them kids away from the school setting to be out on Country, be more relaxed, be open-minded and speak freely.

We've done some art works, we paint rocks, go for a little scavenger hunt. We just, yeah, we make it fun. The teacher that is co-leading it with me, she's great. She's really really great. I can't thank her enough for what she does so.

I don't actually do the Bush Schools program, Uncle Minya does it, but I get to work alongside him, and he is incredible, when we do the Acknowledgment of Country, and we talk about the emerging Elders I almost get a bit teary thinking about Minya and he's going to be out of bring to our community and what he offers our Kids.

I've always had some connection to Country and culture and growing up I've got taught to dance and all that sort of stuff and now that I've done it like these two boys sitting beside me. I was probably about their age and having the right people, the mentor, mentor you is probably the biggest key to success.

With cultural driven activities and just being that positive role model for not only the indigenous boys and girls, but non-indigenous and different cultures that's living in within our community as well.

What I like about Lake Cargelligo Central School teaching here is the challenge, the inspiration, every day is different.

The kids are a lot of fun, the community are quite supportive and our teaching community, there's so much to learn from each other.

What I enjoy here in Lake Cargelligo is the cultural awareness and the historical background of the of the community and especially the indigenous teachers, how they cooperate with the teachers here to promote them those cultural and historical background of the community

So, Lake Cargelligo Central School has always been a great school at the moment we have some really amazing leaders that are really entrusting of their staff and really let us have a chance to do what we can to help our students.

Thank you for listening to our stories today. We are very proud of our home and the great things that are happening here in our school and community.

We have enjoyed showcasing our proud school and demonstrating how Aboriginal Culture is alive and thriving out here in the Central West.

[End transcript]

Acknowledgement of country

Here is the land. Here is the sky. Here are my friends. And here am I.

We acknowledge the Wiradjuri people on whose land we play and learn.

Aaron

What a beautiful acknowledgement from the little ones out at Yalbillinga.

Worimi mittigar, ngaya Aaron.

I just said, “Hello friends, I am Aaron” in Dharug language.

Mary

And Yaama mailyaa, I’m Mary. That’s “Hello friends” in Gamilaraay.

We’re from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander early education and care team with the NSW Department of Education and we’re here to celebrate this year’s NAIDOC theme with you.

Aaron

We have greeted you in two different languages, but did you know that there are around 35 different languages traditionally spoken in NSW by Aboriginal people? Let’s hear some greetings in other languages!

Aunty Vicky

Yawayi! Yawayi! Barrang Murrung.

In Dhanggati, we say yawayi. And yawayi is hello in Dhanggati.

Aunty Vicky and children

Everyone, yawayi! Yawayi! Hello! Hello!

Aunty Renee

To say hello in Awabakal language we say kaayi.

Ready? We'll do it together.

Aunty Renee and children

Kaayi!

Aunty Erin

In Wiradjuri language, to say hello, we say yiradhu marang. Say yiradhu marang. Yiradhu marang.

Aunty Erin and children

Yiradhu marang!

Aunty Renee and children

Kaayi!

Aunty Vicky and children

Yawayi!

Mary

We’re so glad you can join us today, for lots of fun, things to learn, and things to see.

Aaron

Yes we are! The theme for this year’s NAIDOC Week is: ‘Keep the fire burning! Loud, blak and proud!’

The fire represents the special stories dances songs and knowledge that Indigenous peoples have shared for thousands of years.

Mary

That’s right Aaron. And loud, blak and proud is about celebrating who you are, where you come from. It’s like saying ‘I’m Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, and I’m awesome for just being me.’

Aaron

So true Mary. There are so many ways to show our pride, culture and traditions. When you think of this year’s NAIDOC theme, what does it mean to you?

Mary

Mmm. Good question! I think of our Elders sharing stories and yarns about country and animals, traditions, and culture. And speaking of those stories, and about animals, let's hear from Uncle Wes Marne, an Elder from the Mount Druitt community, with a story about one of my favourite animals.

Uncle Wes

My name's Wes Marne. I'm known around here as Uncle Wes, I'm one of the Aboriginal Elders of this place. And I'm a storyteller.

Everything to me revolves around stories. Aboriginal culture says these stories are not allowed to be changed, and it's been handed down from father to son, father to son, for thousands of years. My grandfather taught me these stories. And today this one is very special.

This is a children's story. It's the story of a possum, and why he's a possum up a tree.

Goopie, that's the name of the possum, an Aboriginal man, a warrior. He used to just sit around the camp, he wouldn't go, he wouldn't work, he wouldn't do nothing, he wouldn't hunt with the men. But he was always there when the food came in, always lined up to get his portion of the food. And this went on, and on and on and he became fat and lazy.

Then the drought time comes. Food was very scarce. The men had to go further out to hunt, and they weren't getting enough meat. Women were out gathering but there was nothing. It was all gone. So they came home, placed whatever food they had on the food blanket, and the Elders said "Come on over here. We'll have a talk, to see what we're going to do, but we can't stay here."

So everybody walked up over to the meeting ground. All but Goopie. Goopie sat there looking at the food. Temptation was too much for him. He grabbed the food, he wrapped the blanket up and threw it on his shoulder. And took off running. He kept running until he reached the bottom of the mountains, and the tall gum trees that are there. He looked around and could see this tree with a big hole in the top. So he climbed the tree, pulled the food up after him, climbed into the hole, pulled the food in after him. Sat there, laughing, thinking about how clever he was. He started to eat the food.

By that time the men had come back and seen the food gone, so they tracked him to the bottom of the tree. They sung out to him,

"Goopie, come down, bring the food down please, the children haven't got nothing to eat."

"I'm not coming down. I've got enough food for me. I'm not coming down."

So they made a fire. Baiame, the maker of all things, the great spirit, he came. He called out to Goopie too: "Come down, Goopie, bring the food down."

"I'm not coming down."

Baiame said: "All right, seeing how you like sitting up there in that tree in that hole, that's where you can remain forever."

"And as you like laughing you can laugh as much as you like."

"And as you like eating everything, all these trees around here are full of leaves. You can eat them as much as you like."

"But from now on, this is where you live, and you will live here forever. And this is for being greedy."

And that's how the possum, for his greed, is up the tree. And that's where he lives today.

Aaron

Wow Mary, what an amazing story! And what an amazing man Uncle Wes is. He’s an Elder in the community I grew up in, in fact, my parents knew Uncle Wes as an Elder when they were little ones.

Mary

Wow! It’s great to capture these stories from our Elders so that we can pass them down onto our little ones as well. Did you know that Uncle Wes is 102 years old?

Aaron

Wow, he must have so many great stories to share.

Mary

Oh, he does. And so do all of our amazing Elders across all of our communities right across this country. It’s up to us to listen and keep sharing these beautiful stories.

Aaron

Well said Mary. And some children across NSW are going to teach us the word for possum in their language now.

Aunty Vicky

In Dhangatti, wilai. Wilai is a possum in Dhangatti. Wilai!

Aunty Renee

To say possum in Awabakal language we say walai. Want to help me, ready? Walai!

Aunty Erin

So possum in Wiradjuri is wilay. Can you say ‘Wilay’? Wilay!

Yiradhu marang wilay.Wilay!

Mary

So Aaron, what do you think of when you hear this year’s NAIDOC Week theme?

Aaron

Well Mary, I think of children learning culture, languages, songs and dances. Across our early learning services, lots of little ones learn songs in language. All thanks to those who shared before them.

Let’s hear from children in Yalbillinga Boori Daycare Centre in Cowra sharing a Wiradjuri lullaby.

Children

Bubay migay yuranha

Bubay migay yuranha

Ngiyanhi Ngurrbul-ndhu

Yarrudhamarra

Yarrudhamarra

Ngiyanhi Ngurrbul-ndhu

Bubay biran yuranha

Bubay biran yuranha

Ngiyanhi Ngurrbul-ndhu

Yarrudhamarra

Yarrudhamarra

Ngiyanhi Ngurrbul-ndhu

Aaron

Ah what a great song, and they performed it so well.

Mary

Beautiful.

I learnt some new words in Wiradjuri.

Aaron

And so did I!

Well everyone, that’s all the time we have for today. We’ve included a link to a pack of activity ideas connected to Uncle Wes’ dreamtime story, and to language and songs too. There’s arts and craft ideas, language to learn, and much more.

Mary

And we hope you’ve had just as much fun as we did learning about this year’s NAIDOC theme. And remember to listen, learn from your Elders, be proud of your culture, and most of all have a deadly NAIDOC Week with your family, friends and community.

Aaron

And before we go I’d like to say yanu, which is farewell in Dharug langauge.

Mary

And from me, I’d like to say yaluu. And back to our little ones to farewell us in their local languages. Goodbye everyone and we’ll see you all next time.

Aunty Vicky

In Dhanggati we say marrungbu balu. Marrungbu is thank you. Balu, bye, see you later.

Aunty Vicky and children

Marrungbu. Balu!

Aunty Renee

And to say goodbye in Awabakal language we say Nginuwa. Can everyone help me?

Aunty Renee and children

Nginuwa.

Aunty Renee

In Wiradjuri to say goodbye we say guwayu.

Children

Quwayu!

Jordah Fraser

Good morning, welcome to our learning place at Casino on Galibal Land in Bundjalung I am Jordah, this is Daniel. Welcome and thank you.

Daniel Roberts

Good morning and welcome to our learning place at Casino on Galibal Land in Bundjalung. I am Daniel, this is Jordah. Welcome and thank you.

Murat Dizdar

Hello colleagues its Murat Dizdar here. Secretary for Public Education in New South Wales.

I'm delighted to join you to kick off our celebrations for NAIDOC Week. Keep the Fire Burning. A fantastic week where we recognise the achievements, the resilience, the know-how of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, our First Nations People.

Today’s video showcases some of the incredible work that's happening in Aboriginal Education in our schools right across the fantastic state of New South Wales.

It was so hard to narrow it down to just four pieces that make up this short video, but what you will see is a snapshot of what is happening across the state.

From Sydney and the Central Coast, to Cardiff and then up to Lismore and Casino you will learn about some of the great initiatives that provide opportunities to learn about Aboriginal histories and culture, and enhance learning outcomes for the young people we serve in public education.

You will also hear from our staff and our students about the ways in which they are Keeping the Fire Burning and about being Blak, Loud and Proud in the work that they undertake.

There are so many amazing things occurring in Aboriginal education in public education in New South Wales, and I am pleased to shine a light on just some of those in this video. Enjoy!

Daniel Roberts

My name is Daniel and I am in Year 6, School Captain of Casino Public School and I am a proud Bundjalung and Yaegl boy.

Evie Kay

My name is Evie, I'm in year 8 at Lismore High and my mob is the Arakwal tribe from Bundjalung Nation

Noah Doig

My name is Noah Doig I’m from Cardiff High School. My mob is Biripi from mid North Coast ways, Taree/Foster

Marley Nees

My name is Marley Nees, I am from Smith’s Hill Selective High School and I am a proud Wiradjuri girl from the Mudgee Region and a direct descendant of Diana Mudgee.

Drew Pritchard

Hi, my name is Drew Pritchard I am in Year 8 at Lismore high and my mob is Widjabal Wiyabal people

Erika Beaupark

Hi my name is Erika I’m from Kirawee High School and I am a proud descendant of the Ngugi people from North Stradbroke Island in Queensland.

Jordah Fraser

My name is Jordah Fraser. I am in year six of Casino Public School -Captain! And my mob is Tabulam and Muli Muli,

Noah Smith

Yaama I'm Noah Smith. I'm from Barrenjoey High School.I'm the School Captain there and I'm a proud descendant of the Gomeroi People from Northwest New South Wales.

Erika Beaupark

Keep the Fire Burning to me means keeping our amazing culture alive and

being proud as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and people

Jordah Fraser

I'm looking forward to sharing my culture and knowing that I'm an Aboriginal person I can share it around with others as well and that I get to celebrate NAIDOC Week with my family and cousins

Marley Nees

To be Blak, Loud and Proud means that we are out about who we are. We are kind and we respect our personal values and the values that our Ancestors have held for hundreds of thousands of years.

Noah Smith

Well, to me the theme for NAIDOC Week this year means so much. It's about keeping the traditions we've held for over 65,000 years alive, keeping that fire burning and showing the rest of Australia we are not ashamed and we are so proud of our culture and we will show it off any opportunity we get

Noah Doig

This theme to me means keeping our culture alive and letting the young Aboriginal students that come to Cardiff High and in the community have a voice and talk and own being Aboriginal instead of, being shamed about it and just having the identity of being a person and that they're say matters in things.

Marley Nees

In my school I am Blak, Loud and Proud by leading our Aboriginal group with our young Year 7s. We are currently working to tailor an Acknowledgement of Country for our school and make sure that NAIDOC Week

is properly represented this year.

Jordah Fraser

I'm Blak, Loud and Proud of me getting involved in the children, proud and strong that I actually filmed when I was in Year 4, and I got to bring a bingin shell in, a turtle and a boomerang and share the stories on the boomerang and how to catch turtle.

Noah Smith

Well, I try my best to make sure that Aboriginal people's, our opinions are heard and validated across the community and throughout the school.

Particularly living in an area where there is not a whole heap of visible representation of First Nations culture making that very very prominent is incredibly important to me, as well as blending into the curriculum at my school stuff like Bush foods and other traditional knowledges into everyday lessons.

Erika Beaupark

I’m Blak, Loud and Proud in my community as I am a part of a women’s cultural group called Djarwalinjung which means we grow together in Dharawal language.

Zarley Pritchard

I'm Blak, Loud and Proud for joining the Aboriginal dance group. We perform at the other high schools at school assemblies and the Lismore showgrounds.

Noah Doig

In my school I'm Blak, Loud and Proud by representing all the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students as the Aboriginal School Captain. We do activities with other schools like sports days, do NAIDOC Celebrations, Sorry Days, celebrate all our culture and we build things like our yarning circle and have days to clean that up. We run Didge groups where we made our own Didges, scraped the bark of them, and then finish by sealing them with some oil, and then smoke them out so we can get rid of all the bad Spirits and everything like that.

Marley Nees

Out of school, I hope to go to university become a neurosurgeon and hopefully get to the point where I can teach neurosurgery and hopefully specialise in the brain and neck.

Noah Doig

At the end of this year, I will hopefully get my certificate 3 in SLSO and I can work as a SLSO in schools helping all the children in mainstreaming, even the special ed classes through High School and Primary School.

Noah Smith

Hopefully finishing my HSC and going to Uni, I wanna go down to Canberra and study down there. I wanna study and a double degree of Arts and Science because I want to do Indigenous Studies, but I also want to do Earth and Environmental Science and work out a way to embed our traditional knowledges and understanding into the way western science works, so we can create a better outcome for our Country and our environment.

Erika Beaupark

Well I love dancing, so I'd love to teach at Bangarra and if that doesn't happen I'd love to pursue a career in textiles or art.

Noah Smith

Yeah, so the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student Advisory Group to the Arts Unit came about through a couple conversations I had with staff at the arts unit, particularly around making sure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students’ voices are heard and elevated in a way that isn't just random conversations, in a way that there is a structure for us to talk about things we want to see and events we want to be involved in. And they were incredibly receptive to this, and I worked pretty closely with them. We set up a meeting, we talked to schools from all across New South Wales and we had this huge meeting of over 70 students and teachers from across the State. We had schools from Dubbo, Sydney, Northwest Sydney, Southwest Sydney, schools from all over the state. And we had a communication, we had a discussion, we had a yarn about what we wanted to see for an advisory group and how that can better represent our views, stories and histories

Erika Beaupark

Well, everyone's role in the First Nations Advisory Group is to answer questions about how to better improve events held by the Arts Unit, to make Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students more comfortable.

Marley Nees

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Group for the Arts Unit is all about making sure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples are accurately represented in a way that feels natural and not tokenistic. In the group I was really submitting ideas for how we can better different things that we do.

Josh Gane

Hi, I’m Josh Gane I am the principal of Cardiff High School. My mob is I am from this area Awabakal land and ah my journey as an educator has taken me to many different Aboriginal lands. I’ve been proud to teach at Worimi lands and then I moved to the Sydney area and taught at the Wallumedegal lands ah then up to Wonnarura Country um and now back here to where I feel at home on Awabakal land.

The cultural programs at Cardiff High School are vast based on our population of 116 Aboriginal students. We offer many different programs such as our Yidaki group for the boys, our Aboriginal dance groups for the girls and the boys too.

We have a language program that's working, that teaches the students both Gomeroi and Awabakal language and certainly around our network a lot of the school's collaborate for a number of really key events such as our Koori Touch competition and other celebratory events all of the schools around over there around the region are really proud of the activities that they can offer for one another and to really combine upon them.

It creates belonging. The belonging for our students around their culture, it gives them a place of cultural safety, but a place to also be proud which we see the daily benefits of. It’s the students walking around the school in the way that they carry themselves but it's also the pride which they have for our school and the spaces within the school that they like to come to.

One of the most important things is that we have a really proud space for our students to bring their families to our school and to celebrate their culture and to show off what work they've been doing really proudly here at our school.

But it's more than that. The measurable things such as having really positive attendance for students has come out of certain programs that we have been running too and that of course lends itself to greater academic achievement, through the connections that our students will form with family members on site but to our Aboriginal staff members who are a constant force of motivation and mentorship for our students. I've seen such growth within our students based around that connection to culture.

Noah Doig is an impressive young man and one of the most impressive young men I've had the pleasure of working with. Noah moved through our Junior AECG into the position of School Captain and it's a position in which he has excelled.

He is the shining example for other students the impressive role model who just through his deeds around our school, shows people and our students the way to act, the way to respond, and the way to respect one another, their teachers our school community members. He shines the light in that way in just the small things that he does, and that's really his leadership. But on top of that Noah is involved in so many activities outside of school and within the school.

Noah is currently studying an SBAT and working towards an SLSO qualification at Windale Public School which is a local school of ours, one of his greatest achievements is Noah was the male representative for the NRL School to Work Program. So, he was the one boy that was selected throughout New South Wales and he went on a year-long ambassadorship linked to the NRL which took him up to the Indigenous All Stars game and week where he got to intermingle with all the players support staff and media and be an ambassador for not only his culture but young people in general.

Look Noah leads our school through his efforts on the sporting field through his participation in the Yidaki group. But all in all, he's an impressive young man.

Noah Doig

So, in 2023 I was selected to be the 2023 Indigenous NRL Youth Ambassador where we went down for a week as a camp with students, with four students from each club and from all different states in Australia and even New Zealand, and I was selected to be the ambassador for that. So, then that gave me the opportunity to go to Townsville for the men's NRL All Stars game.

And we were there for about a week, so I could see all the stuff that happens before the game and all the social media and the trainings and meet the players and stuff like that.

Chris Williams

Jingi Walla My name is Chris Williams I am the principal here at Lismore High Campus. I grew up in the Glen Innes area in the beautiful gorge Country of the Ngoorabul People.

Stephanie Coble-Runge

My name is Stephanie Coble-Runge I am the deputy principal at Lismore High Campus and my mob, I have family that come from the local area but also Germany and the Netherlands.

Tamika Fox

I’m Tamika Fox I’m the Aboriginal Education Officer here at Lismore High Campus and I’m Wiradjuri from Griffith NSW.

Trent Graham

My name is Trent Graham, I’m deputy principal here at Lismore High Campus and I’m a proud Pyemmairrener from North East Tasmania growing up on Punnilerpanner land in the North West Tasmania.

Donna Magann

Hi, my name is Donna Magann and I am the language teacher at Lismore High School. I am originally from Narrabri on Kamilaroi Country and I’ve been in the Lismore Country for the last ten years.

John Paden

Jingeelaa, ngay gala John Paden. Ngay gala Bundjalung Widjabal Wiyebul baygalngi.

Hello, I am John Paden. I am a Wijabal Wiyebul man. I've also got connections down to Ballina the Nyangbal mob, the Bandjalang mob of Coraki, I'm also Gumbayngirr, Dunghutti and Quandamook.

Chris Williams

All of our students here in Year 7 study Broader Bundjalung language and it’s a great program where the students are all given the opportunity to immerse themselves in Broader Bundjalung language.

It’s promoted student self-confidence, self-esteem and self-concept and it’s been incredible for generating cultural safety and awareness in the school.

Donna Magann

I think it is really important for Aboriginal languages to be taught on their home Country. So for us here at Lismore High, using Bundjalung language seems to be natural.

The kids are surrounded by language out on the street, there’s language within their families and for the non-Aboriginal kids to learn more about what it means to be on this land and to be part of the Bundjalung Nation. For me as a language teacher to see that students can go out and use the language, see it alive and know that we play a role in revitalising a language for the generations to come and it will be natural for kids to use language in everyday life in the next generation in this area because of the work that John is providing.

Stephanie Coble-Runge

The renaming the blocks in Broader Bundjalung project was a project that was born out of some Tell Them From Me survey data. Which showed us that our Aboriginal students weren't feeling a real sense of belonging and didn't feel like staff understood their culture so we came up with the Block Renaming project so that students could get involved and really acknowledging our local area through language and we had a group of five Aboriginal students lead the project. We involved all of our Aboriginal students within the school and the final decision about the block names was made by the entire school through a survey.

It was something that was really celebrated. It took three years of working with Uncle Glen Rhodes from the Bundjalung Language and Culture Nest. He worked heavily with the students and myself to be able to get it to the point where our Broader Bundjalung block names are now embedded in our timetable and students speak Broader Bundjalung every day.

Evie Kay

I like having language taught at school because I've always liked learning, well listening to other languages and then to learn my own language for my own people is just amazing.

Student

I like learning Bundjalung at Lismore High School because we get to play games and it's very competitive but it's really good to learn.

John Paden

Teaching the language that was nearly lost through colonisation, I call it invasion for me, because that's what had happened to our people the language was nearly lost by genocide, oppression. To have the language revival and being revived in a school is good. Because most of the kids that are here 60%, a lot of them are either my nieces or nephews and cousins so for me teaching them fills my heart with joy and goodness, that I didn't have have couple years ago when I wasn't in a good space. So, for Uncle Glen to give me this space opportunity fills me with joy and happiness.

Lismore High Campus Staff

Happy NAIDOC Week from Lismore High.

Jackie Nilon

My name is Jackie Nilon and I am Principal at Casino Public School. I was born and bred in Northwest NSW. So, I was born in Inverell and then moved to Tamworth and then my family moved to Lismore.

I got my first teaching job in Brewarrina so a really rich cultural location and we spent a lot of time learning about the fish traps and being in the museum and our kids were really engaged in that so that was a real privilege for us.

And then I moved back to a small school just outside of Lismore and since then we've kind of been in and around the area for the last 29/30 years.

Wendy King

My name is Wendy King and I'm the Aboriginal Education Instructional Leader at this school. I'm a Casino Woman, four generations of my family in this town and my my kids, two of my daughter's, still live in the town as well. So very proud Casino woman. I'm the daughter of dairy farmers. This community is the blood that runs through my veins, and I'm so fortunate to work in a school that I went to school at, and just love being here.

Jackie Nilon

Cultural programs are really important for us. We have a Bundjalung language program that we are really proud of and Wendy and our AEO, Aunty Carmel Close, work on that and they film segments in language for our kids and that is delivered Kindergarten to Year 6 within our library lessons. So that's' across the board. We also have Aunty Belinda Hickling who works down in the playground in the preschool - she's an AEO down there and their language program is really embedded as well, and they move up into our library sessions as well. So that's part of a cross P - 6 for us.

We've got an Aboriginal dance group both boys and girls and they get invited to lots of things around the place to celebrate and to promote culture which is really exciting.

So there's a lot of stuff for us going on all the time as well as trying to celebrate I suppose the big national events. Our focus is to try and embed culture in what we do and you'll see that when you walk around that it is who we are.

I think what we've seen is the kids choosing to engage. It's like all the programs we run, sometimes the kids can be a little bit reluctant to sort of put themselves out there and to do things but we now have kids saying When is that on? When are you doing sister speak? Can I do this? Is it my turn to do the acknowledgement? You know, are we going to have dance this afternoon? Particularly for our kids that were a little bit disengaged before, you know, we've seen that they'll come, and the reason that they'll come to school is the dance and that can be part of how we support them to make positive choices around other aspects of of what they do.

Daniel Roberts

I like dancing because it's proud and I love being around my uncle and all my cousins and some of my brothers

Wendy King

We start every morning with the class acknowledgement, that at the beginning of the year it's now part of our Reconciliation Action Plan that every classroom in the school writes a class acknowledgement and they own that class acknowledgement. We get it printed out, so it's really special. It's displayed in the school and every morning the kids sit in a circle, in a check-in circle, and they they honour their class acknowledgement. It's a beautiful thing.

Casino Public School Staff

Happy NAIDOC Week! No wasn’t it just Happy NAIDOC?

Murat Dizdar

As you've just seen, there are many wonderful initiatives happening in our schools right across the state.

The New South Wales Department of Education's 19th annual Nanga Mai Awards are held to celebrate and recognise excellence and educational achievements in Aboriginal education in New South Wales public schools and their school communities.

The awards are a fantastic opportunity for public education in New South Wales to celebrate and promote the educational excellence and achievements of Aboriginal students, our staff, schools and communities. The award recipients are recognised in a special award ceremony held annually in Term 4.

Further details regarding the awards will be published via our Department’s Nanga Mai Awards website as they become available.

The ceremony will be held in our Parramatta office and I look forward to seeing you in person. Nominations will officially open on Monday the 22nd of July.

There are many award categories. So please go to the New South Wales Department of Education Nanga Mai Awards website. On this page you'll find guidelines that will answer your questions about the nomination process, about eligibility and selection criteria for a New South Wales Department of Education Nanga Mai Award.

This prestigious event is a celebration of unity, of diversity and shared goals. It's a reminder that together we can achieve great things.

Liam Grant

My name is Liam Grant I am a proud Wonnarua man from Kirrawee High School.

Amirah Sergas

I’m Amirah Sergas I am a proud Kamilaroi woman from Northern Beaches Secondary College McKellar Girl’s Campus

Liam Grant

Today, Amirah and I have the privilege of being the student Masters of Ceremony for the Department of Education’s NAIDOC event for 2024.

We would like to acknowledge Country today.

Amirah Sergas

We come together today on the lands of the Burramattagal people of the Darug nation. We pay our respect to Elders past, present and emerging and extend our respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples here with us today.

Uncle Chris Tobin

Good morning in the local Darug language. My name is Chris. Or Uncle Chris, when I'm doing my cultural work and I feel very humbled to be here today and so wrapped to see everyone out and the vibe in the room too. Sharing Aboriginal culture is actually one of my joys. It's something I've been doing for the past 35 years and It's particularly in education. This where I see we are getting results.

We've been in the courtrooms. We've been dealing with the Government for a long, long time and it's just confirmed really that the education is where we're seeing progress as well. So, well done to everyone in your chosen field and any of the work you do.

I always use these opportunities to, firstly I should say Nullawah which is welcome. Nullawah in our language actually means to come and sit with us. It doesn’t mean to lead us, doesn't mean to push us, it means sit with us on our journey. Now our journey is a healing one at the moment. Very aware we're in Parramatta and everyone, well a lot of people very are excited about the city going up in leaps and strives, but we need to be careful we don't lose some of the values that have grounded our people for the longest time and I think we're quite fortunate in Australia that we have this beautiful culture to draw on to help us not lose our way with things.

We are a very personable culture, and it is personal, the Country for us and it extends to not just the beautiful animals and birds life that share our home here, and that we're responsible for, it extends to the Old People, the Ancestors in the Sky Country. I’d like to pay respects to them and also the generations coming after us, which is what we're all invested into. They need to be in the very forefront of our mind when we're making decisions for Country. We don't make them for today to suit us we make them in the hope that our Ancestors are happy with the direction we're going and that the decisions we make will benefit the generations coming after us.

I want to just hold you for a little bit longer because I find a lot of people sometimes are not quite comfortable with Aboriginal culture and I want to share with you that that we're all on that journey to explore the depths of this rich culture. And I'm keen when I go in to places to make sure that people have respect for the culture and not just because it's the culture of the Country, the Aboriginal culture, but for the reasons that have served our Ancestors for so long, and serve us today. And that is the values that are involved in the culture (sorry I've got to watch, I'm on a 3 minute job here!)

But I just want to point out to you that our culture can actually leave the world a bit and it seems quite strange a lot of people still dismiss it as a primitive culture and I always keen to share that: It's not, it's quite the opposite - It's an ancient culture. There's so much we can learn from it. And when I get to go into schools I come in with the good news. The kids are aware that there's an environmental problem big time. They are also aware that the rest of the world has not sorted out how to share land and Country and our people proudly are able to show the rest of the world that human beings can live on the planet without trashing it and we do not have to war against each other. But we had a lot of things in place because we've been here for a long time and worked it out. And a big part of that is our belonging in Country. That your belonging, just by being born here is supported by Aboriginal culture. That's what I tell people, get behind Aboriginal culture, the mainstream culture does not recognise your belonging on this planet unless you put your dollars down and our culture, still today, recognises the importance of of you being here and being alive. And our kids, that are feeling a little bit lost, hopefully they're going to enjoy the cultural revival that's being seen as a cultural fire. There are jobs, jobs, jobs, like the government is always talking about. But these are meaningful jobs, taking care of Country and healing it. And when we heal Country, we're healing ourselves. Our young people are now coming up with the understanding that you look after Country, you are looking after yourself and your family because it's the one thing and that's again one of the beautiful things our culture is able to share that belonging. Lots of things really.

I'll just slip in sharing laws before I go. Again, both of those: The sharing of resources, jostling and the belonging, I would probably say go a long way, go a long way to fixing a whole lot of the dreadful, dreadful things that are happening around the planet at the moment. But I need longer than 3 minutes to go on about that.

I just want to join you in your celebration of Aboriginal culture. It's so encouraging to that we come in and we acknowledge Country. I know people that do that when there's not a big crowd of us. I’ve got a friend goes to a psychiatrist or psychologist and begins with acknowledging Country before they begin and I think it's really healthy.

So, anyway, happy NAIDOC and have a beautiful day everyone. Thank you.

Murat Dizdar

Can I thank our MC's Amirah Sergas, who's at the Northern Beaches Secondary School and Liam Grant from Kirawee High School. Don't they look a million dollars? Don't they make you proud to be in public education? We should put our hands together for them.

I'm delighted to be with you all this morning. Can I just say it's fantastic to have so many people at the home of public education here in Parramatta and the coffee shop loves you all as well. They've said to me can we have NAIDOC Week every week? You know I've said, it's once a year, a very special time, but I'm delighted to see so many of our partners in education here with us - great to see the corporate boxes up there full of our folk as well.

Uncle Chris Tobin, can I thank you for your wonderful and warm Welcome to Country. Uncle Tobin is a very, very humble man. He's a product of public education, went to Nepean High School, a graduate of Nepean High School. He told me, Murat, I worked hard, particularly in maths and English, but the results didn't match ah didn't quite match what the effort that I put in. Uncle Tobin, I know people. I'll ask for a recount. A re-mark of those results, I will just get it checked. We're always delighted to have you with us but to also have you as one of us in public education as well.

He's a RAAF kid, his parents, he told me he had to move from state to state and the data and research and evidence around mobility of our students, particularly when they move a lot of schools indicates that it can be quite challenging to produce great outcomes, so a credit to you and your family and it's also a challenge for us in public education for our 74,000 Aboriginal students, because we've got a long way to go to recognise their kinship and their mobility and get it right on their education front.

Can I join you in acknowledging the Burramattagal clan of the Darug nation. We're on their beautiful home lands. I'm always reminded that this is land that they never ceded it's their ongoing custodianship that we're the beneficiaries of. And I do want to pay my respects to their Elders, past and present and extend that respect to good Aboriginal colleagues with us in the room.

I'm very proud. I'm very proud as Secretary, the way we celebrate and recognise NAIDOC Week in our schools, I mean I know it coincides with the Term 2 break, but our schools out there do a tremendous job in making sure that it's just not a moment that we stop and pause, but we do do the right thing and then we do make it our business to bring in community to respect community, to respect our First Nations people and to grow our understanding of Aboriginal education so we can get it right for community and young students.

It was humbling for me on the road show to recently visit Toomelah Public School. I wanted to in my career a number of times. I was in Moree, a school that was on a former mission, 44 students,

44 Aboriginal students, community wrapped around that school and talking to community, they want what every parent wants, they want what every parent and child deserves: the best of outcomes for their young people.

It was humbling to join them in the morning circle around what they were grateful for ‘cause, you know, I was wrestling with all the challenges of the world about to go into a Principal road show and answer 100 questions on the budget. I thought I was carrying the entire planet on my shoulders. But to hear these young people talk about what they’re grateful for was just amazing and leveling and then they started the day with fishing on the river there.

Of course, you know, I like to think I'm smart so I sidled up to all the young people and said, you know, do you know who I am? I'm the Secretary. Show me the best fishing spot right now, cause I'm slightly competitive.

They gave us fifteen minutes to fish. I extended it to 20 ‘cause we hadn't caught anything at that stage and I went back to the school disappointed, disappointed ‘cause imagine I did catch something, I would have told the entire planet, it would have been a press release.

When I got back to the school and a young boy came running up. He had a yellow-belly. They tell me it's not that great to eat but looked fantastic. At least this big, on a handline. And of course I did what you'd expect. I grabbed the handline off him and I said to just move away for a second.

Took a glowing picture proclaiming I caught a yellow-belly. But wonderful to see what I saw in Tommelah from community, from our staff, from those students. They deserve better.

Liam Grant

Our Keynote speaker today is Nova Peris.

Nova is a descendant of the Yawuru & Gija people of the East and West Kimberley, the Gagudju people from West Arnhem Land. Nova was a Young Australian of the Year and also has an OAM and OLY to her name. She is the first Aboriginal Olympic Gold Medallist and the first Northern Territorian to win Olympic Gold; a Commonwealth Games dual Gold Medallist and the only person in the world to win back-to-back summer Olympic Games finals in two different sports; Hockey and Athletics. Nova has done extensive work within the community since retiring from sports and has held many important positions throughout Australia within Aboriginal Affairs. She was the first Aboriginal woman to sit in the Federal Parliament as a Senator for the Northern Territory and is a member of the Institute of Company Directors.

Please welcome Nova Peris.

Nova Peris

So I'm here to talk about NAIDOC and to give you an insight into my life. I also it should acknowledge Murat, Michele and Des for your invitation to come and speak to everyone here today.

For me, as young Amirah and Liam acknowledge, I’m a descendant of the Yawuru people which is a beautiful part of the world up in Broome. It is my mother’s father who is a descendant there.

My mother’s mother, nanna Nora she was born in a place called Moola Bulla which is not far from Hall’s Creek in the East Kimberley and it actually took us 28 years um for us to get Native Title on that Country and sadly a lot of the Old People had passed a few years ago before that was determined.

On my father’s side I’m a descendant of the Bininj Gagudju of the West Arnhem Land region. Beautiful place out at Kakadu National Park. Where I actually got married there a number of years ago and I’ve got Maurie Goolagong who does extraordinary work in the Aboriginal community with kids as well um came up to our wedding and got the wrong shoe size and ah ‘cause we got married on Country all the girls wore no shoes and Maurie was happy that he didn’t have to wear shoes that day. But it was quite a remarkable time for us to go back to Country because most of the times we’re always going back for funerals.

In keeping with NAIDOC's theme, Keeping the Fire Burning, Blak, Loud and Proud, it's actually fitting, and thank you Monique, for you're incredible voice, voice of an angel, singing such a beautiful song, the late Archie Roach, it's hard not to cry when you hear his songs and I just want to thank you again for your voice.

And what Murat was saying, you know, Aboriginal people, we celebrate, sometimes over-the-top, you know, we talk about our history because it's been denied for so long and our families have been silenced over the years, and for my grandmother, who was also a member of the Stolen Generation and it's only now that in the Western Australian Government they going through the stolen wages, which sadly my mom, my grandmother and grandfather have all passed, so that they will never get to hear those 5 letters - Sorry.

But in saying that, my Nanna was born to a full-blood Aboriginal lady and her father was a Scottish/Irish man and for the first two to three years of her life, she lived with them and it wasn't until he left the mission, he was in charge of the stockyard there. He was a cattleman and when he left my nanna was forcibly removed and place on the mission at Moola Bulla.

So she is one of the kids there and she wasn’t allowed to have any sort of education, she couldn’t dream, she didn’t know what her life was going to, what was to become of it. So that is the life of most Aboriginal people.

There is a book down there which is a great educational resource and Moola Bulla Shadows in the Mountain. What happened in 1997 when the Federal Government had a report which was called the Bringing Them Home Report, which was based on all the Stolen Generation stories and part of the recommendations, I think there's only about nineteen of them, was the Apology from Kevin Rudd, was to get the Old People back onto their Country to tell their story.

So Nana did that, and she didn't tell us, and it wasn't until 2004, when I was going back to the Kimberley's to get my kids their Aboriginal names form them Old People, I came across that book and I turned to the back of it and saw my nanna’s story and I know this now even as an Aboriginal woman, who's a grandmother and has three kids, when we have our own pain we don't like to talk about that because you don't want to pass your own trauma onto your own kids, and I found that with my Nanna, as part of the healing process, she was able to tell her story.

So when you think of strength and resilience and us to be Blak, Loud and Proud, it's because the the history of our people was so bad and my Nanna never used to like to talk about it, well she never did talk about it because the pain was too much for her.

Liam Grant

I would now like to invite all of our featured artists to come to the stage and cut the cake.

That brings us to the end of the Department of Education's NAIDOC Week Event

Amirah and I would like to thank Mr Dizdar, Miss Peris, Uncle Chris Tobin and our student performers and artists for making this event so special.

Amirah Sergas

Thank you to our special guests and staff from the Department of Education, NSW Aboriginal Education Consult Group and wider community for coming along today.