NAIDOC Week celebrations came to town on Wednesday when more than 60 local Indigenous people and other members of the community gathered at the Kerang police station to enjoy a barbecue lunch.
Events have been held across the nation this week to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
NAIDOC originally stood for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee, which was once responsible for organising national activities during NAIDOC Week and its acronym has since become the name of the week itself.
Numerous other local events have been overseen by the Swan Hill NAIDOC Committee and held at Swan Hill throughout the week.
These included a march and flag raising ceremony in Swan Hill on Monday, a youth basketball day on Tuesday, a cultural festival yesterday and an Elders luncheon today, followed by a Koorioke event tonight and a Dreamtime Ball on Saturday, July 30.
Swan Hill-based Victoria Police Aboriginal Community Liaison Officer, Lateesha Jeffrey co-ordinated the Kerang event.
“We decided to have an event at the police station because we wanted an opportunity to celebrate NAIDOC Week with the local community and police members,” she said.
“We’re really happy with how many people have come along to help us celebrate.”
The barbecue lunch included a Welcome to Country from Aunty Esther Kirby, who praised Victoria Police for hosting the event.
“I am so happy to see so many people here and we really appreciate the police for putting this on and all the Elders for coming,” she said.
