Community event to celebrate first nations culture
14 September 2021
A NAIDOC week event will see 75 stalls open at the Briggs Road Sporting Complex next Thursday 23 September, as council’s free Family and Cultural Celebration brings artists and craftspeople and essential community service providers to Flinders View.
Live music, entertainment, dancing, activities for the whole family, as well as activities provided by stallholders, children’s rides, refreshments, food, and an Elder’s area will be available from 10am to 2pm on the day.
Mayor Teresa Harding said this year’s NAIDOC Week event is a fantastic opportunity to bring the Ipswich community together.
“Ipswich is made up of so many proud and diverse peoples, and this event is a great opportunity to celebrate, share and embrace Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture,” Mayor Harding said.
“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples make up 4.4 per cent of our city’s population and bring so much to our cultural and community life.
“This year’s event is a special time for our community with this year’s theme being Heal Country, which calls for continued protection of lands, waters, sacred sites and cultural heritage.”
The Ipswich NAIDOC event has contributed to many changes over the years including the breakdown of lateral violence between family groups, increased community participation, and the opportunity for many services to interact and provide support to attendees and their families.
The 2021 Family and Cultural Celebration is open to the whole community and is not exclusive to any one clan, language, or community service provider.
Arts, crafts and information stalls will be at the event, covering:
- Health outcomes (healthy eating, health checks, physical activity, mental health support, drug and alcohol information)
- Employment and training opportunities
- Disability services (NDIS and other services)
- Safety (QPS)
The event was originally scheduled to coincide with national NAIDOC week in July, but was postponed due to COVID restrictions.
For more information and for updates about the event click here.