NAIDOC Family Fun Day 2011

SHINE for Kids celebrated its third NAIDOC Week with Family Fun Days in several centres

NAIDOC Day was celebrated this year at SHINE for Kids centres including Bathurst, Cessnock, Parklea, Silverwater and Windsor. More expansive Family Days were held at Kempsey, Wellington and Junee with the much-appreciated financial assistance of the Indigenous Coordination Centre at Dubbo.

Sharon and Darren Sunderland, Aunty Joyce Williams and Mayor Anne Jones	Live music kept everyone entertained
Some of the SHINE staff, volunteers and guests	The SHINE for Kids NAIDOC cake was shared around

Wellington

The SHINE for Kids NAIDOC Family Fun Day was held in the playground area of our Child & Family Centre on 23 July between 11.30am and 1.30pm. About 50 people attended this very successful day which allowed families to spend time together and meet other families and community members and for the children to enjoy the activities - all the while celebrating and experiencing Aboriginal culture.

Free transport was provided by SHINE for Kids for families to attend the event.

The day commenced with Wellington Aboriginal Elder Aunty Joyce Williams giving a Welcome to Country. Activities for children included a jumping castle, face painting, easel paintings, sculpting with playdough, and painting and/or decorating of flags, boomerangs and wooden animals. Yala Gari (Speak the Truth) provided a one-hour educational music program exposing children to Wiradjuri language, topics such as general hygiene and values of respect and unity - all in a fun way with games and original songs. Everyone shared a delicious barbecue lunch of kangaroo sausages and steaks of both kangaroo and beef, kindly cooked by the Wellington Lions Club. The day concluded with Aunty Joyce and SHINE for Kids CEO Gloria Larman cutting the NAIDOC cake which was shared with all. The children were given bags of goodies to take home which were kindly donated by Department of Aboriginal Affairs Dubbo.

The Wellington Times covered the event with an article which included photos of the day.

SHINE for Kids sincerely thanks all the staff and volunteers who assisted with each Family Fun Day, and also our many supporters who donated food and a variety of goods and services. Each was very well attended and a great day was had by all the children there.

Kempsey

SHINE for Kids Kempsey held its NAIDOC Day celebrations on 9 July 2011 from 11.00am to 3.00pm in and around its cottage at Aldavilla. Over 100 adults and children people attended. Formalities began with a Welcome to Country by Aunty Esther Quinlan in fluent Dunghutti, followed by a traditional smoking ceremony and traditional storytelling dances by Uncle John Kelly and Bradley Kelly. Counsellor Dean Saul gave a formal speech on behalf of the Mayor, and David Fry from the Chamber of Commerce also spoke at the event.

Children enjoyed activities such as a jumping castle, face painting, boomerang throwing, live music by Rhys Waite and dancing. Uncle Richard Campbell and his granddaughter Rebecca assisted the children with painting our rock mural garden as Uncle Richard told traditional stories about Currawinya Serpent and others.

The ABC Dreambox Project offered everyone the chance to speak their dreams for themselves and their culture and to have it heard across the internet. After some initial hesitation, community members were encouraged to understand the project rather than feel fear or shame.

We provided a wonderful barbecue lunch in a family-picnic environment, with everyone eating together at pre-organised community tables. Lunch included steak and sausage sandwiches, salads, dampers, fresh fruit and biscuits, tea, coffee, juice and water and also traditional food tastings of wallaby skewers and locally caught flathead wrapped in lemon myrtle and paper bark, cooked by Uncle Richard Smith.

The event which has lead to a wonderful bond between SHINE for Kids staff and the community and also outlined what we are trying to achieve through all our programs. A lot of positive feedback has been received from Elders in the community.

What is NAIDOC?

NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee.

With a growing awareness of the distinct cultural histories of Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders, NADOC was expanded to recognise Torres Strait Islander people and assumed its current name, which has become the title not just for the day but for the whole week. Each year has a theme; for 2011 it was 'Change: the next step is ours'.