Warami Everybody, Happy NAIDOC week
05/07/2023
Warami everybody,
I hope you are enjoying NAIDOC Week 2023. This year’s theme is “For our Elders”. An extract from the NAIDOC website describes why our Elders are so important to us, “They are cultural knowledge holders, trailblazers, nurturers, advocates, teachers, survivors, leaders, hard workers and our loved ones”.
For me it is a special time of the year where we can all celebrate the special, amazing and continued culture that my people have been living for a very long time.
Throughout my life I have been given the gift of knowledge from my Elder’s and access to sites of significance on my country, the South East Coast of New South Wales. I celebrate this everyday by living in my culture, speaking some of my language and being able to pass this on to my children and share this with family, friends and people I have met.
This week is so important for my people, because it is a time of celebration, a time of continued existence and a way of ensuring that our culture survives.
In 2016 I was a participant of the Kimberley Leadership Program and it changed my life. I was so fortunate to be able to walk on someone else’s country and be given knowledge and culture from the beautiful people of that land. Just like anyone who has had the opportunity to go to the Kimberley, you soon appreciate it is a deeply significant place and even though I have a similar feeling on my country, it leaves me with a sense of ancient culture and belonging that the people of the Mimbi Community share with us.
To me the ancient culture and belonging is what we celebrate during NAIDOC Week and I believe this is something we can share with everyone.
Happy NAIDOC Week everyone.
Regards
Dean Jard
Proud Outback Initiatives Alumni and Facilitator
Dean is a Gadigal, Bidjigal, Dhurag and Yuin man from South East NSW. Born in Rockhampton QLD, Dean has lived in Canberra most of his life and is now considered an Elder in his community.
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