Celebrating the richness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples history, culture and achievements will be at the heart of City of Bayswater’s 2020 NAIDOC Week celebrations.
This year’s theme, Always Was, Always Will Be, will see the City reflect on its Reconciliation journey so far, and encourage the broader community to embrace the rich culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and acknowledge Australia’s true history.
As part of its NAIDOC week celebrations, the City will be hosting the ‘Fantastic Creatures’ weaving workshop series at Bayswater, Maylands and Morley libraries.
Led by Whadjuk Noongar artist Sharyn Egan, the workshops will teach participants about Noongar lore including the significance of animal totems, whilst creating a ‘Fantastic Creature’ using meadow straw and recycled wool.
City of Bayswater Mayor Cr Dan Bull said the City was working to create an inclusive and respectful community in which the cultures of First Nations Australians are acknowledged, shared and celebrated.
“Fostering positive relationships between the broader community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is at the heart of the City of Bayswater’s reconciliation journey,” said Cr Dan Bull.
“This year’s NAIDOC week celebrations are an opportunity for our community to come together to celebrate the history and cultures of First Nations Australians, and we are honoured to have Sharyn Egan share her knowledge with us.
“The City's NAIDOC week celebrations are also particularly important as they represent one of our final milestones in implementing the City’s Reflect: Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).
"Over the past year, the City of Bayswater has achieved a number of key milestones under the Reflect: RAP, including the re-establishment of the former Aboriginal Advisory Committee under the new name, Reconciliation Advisory Committee (RAC).
"The final stage of our Reflect: RAP will signal the continuation of our journey through the development of a draft, two-year Innovate: Reconciliation Action Plan, and over the next month the City will hold a Reflect to Innovate Workshop and release a community survey to help inform the draft plan.
“Under the guidance of our Reconciliation Advisory Committee, the City is proud to continue its unique approach to reconciliation, and I encourage the broader community to contribute their thoughts to the next stage of this very important journey.
“We recognise reconciliation is a long journey and are committed to fostering positive relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples."
NAIDOC Week runs annually in July. This year, due to the impacts of Covid-19, the National NAIDOC Committee postponed National NAIDOC Week 2020 celebrations to 8-15 November.
Community Participation Detaills
Registration details and information on the 'Fantastic Creatures' weaving workshops can be found here.
Members of the community can participate in the Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan Survey by heading to the Engage Bayswater website here.
These events are enabled through support from the National Indigenous Australians Agency.