The wind may have toppled tables and tugged at marquees—but it was no match for the fun, food, and festivities at Canberra’s 50th NAIDOC event!
Seeking warmer weather, the celebration was once again deferred from June to October this year, and Anglicare was honoured to be part of the planning and preparation— along with other local community organisations, led by The Smith Family.
The day kicked off with a powerful smoking ceremony, accompanied by the rhythmic vibrations of the didgeridoo. This was followed by heartfelt speeches from organisers and community leaders and a performance by the Ykembruk Dance Group—who showcased both traditional and freestyle movements.
Music was central to the day—with performances from Uncle Johnny Huckle, Jayde Mitchell, Majeda Beaty, Dale Huddle and the Riverside Band, and Jerikye Williams—each bringing their own stories and soul to the stage.
Doug Taylor, CEO of The Smith Family, welcomed the gathering, thanking participants by saying: “Every day you do tremendous work in our community to support people to help them thrive and making the most of wonderful opportunities.”
He also highlighted this year’s theme, The Next Generation: Strength, Vision and Legacy, reminding us that our own footsteps leave a trail for others to follow. “There is always someone watching, learning from how we act, how we lead, and how we move through challenges together… We must ask ourselves what we can do to support this next generation”, he said.
Bill Bashford from Thirrili, an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Organisation, also spoke about the importance of connection between communities and organisations—not just for events like this, but for building a better future together.
“Days like this fill me with hope,” he said. “When it comes to closing the gap we can’t do it alone. We need community organisations to be culturally safe. We need to have improved relationships… And it’s not just the talk and the rhetoric but sitting down and having a yarn with us.”
And that yarning happened all across Woden’s windy town square—from the Johnny Cakes table to the free coffee van, from the sausage sizzle and arts activities at the library, to the craft stalls and health vans near the bus depot—community came together.
We were incredibly proud to join Elders, Brumbies players, ACT Emergency Services, ACT Policing and Caitlin Tough, MLA (on behalf of Suzanne Orr MLA) and—importantly—so many community members.
Bill said it at the start, “It’s going to be a deadly day”, and it certainly was!
