July 6, 2016
The rainy weather didn’t stop Cherbourg’s annual NAIDOC Day celebrations on Tuesday, or keep away the many visitors who return every year to catch up with friends and family.
The Ration Shed complex was again the focus for the day’s activities.
The official speeches were transferred to the old Boys Dormitory, while room was made in the sports museum area for the information stalls.
Us Mob Radio broadcast live from one room, while Muddy Flats played some classic Murri tracks – and old rock’n’roll favourites – in another.
On the front verandah, children milled around an arts table where they could paint boomerangs and leave handprint stencils on cloth.
When the showers eased, the crowd took up vantage points on the verandah and in the front yard of the Boys Dormitory to watch performances of traditional and modern dancing.
At lunch time, there was damper, golden syrup, camp oven stew – cooked on an open fire – and a barbecue out back.
There was even some special bush tucker for community Elders.
NAIDOC is actually an acronym that stands for “National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee”, a group that organised events in the past.
But in the same way that no one calls QANTAS “Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services” any more, or even ANZAC “Australian and New Zealand Army Corps”, in recent years NAIDOC has taken on a life of its own.
NAIDOC celebrations have become a traditional time for Indigenous families to come together in celebration of culture and achievements, with an invitation to the wider community to join in, have fun and grow in understanding.
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