Each July NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Each year NAIDOC Week has a theme, and in 2015 the theme was “We all Stand on Sacred Ground: Learn, Respect & Celebrate”. This theme highlights Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ strong spiritual and cultural connection to land and sea.

As the oldest continuing culture on the planet, the living cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are intrinsically linked to sacred places. Sacred places can be geographic features, such as rivers, beaches or mountains, or ceremonial grounds, galleries of rock art or places used for gathering for cultural practices. Often, sacred places are connected with Dreaming stories or tell the meaning of an area. This year’s theme provided an opportunity to pay respects to country and to honour those who work tirelessly on preserving land, sea and culture.

The theme was also chosen to highlight and celebrate the 30th anniversary of the “Handback” of Uluru, a sacred place, to its traditional owners on 26 October 1985.

The competition to design the poster for this year’s event (pictured top) was won by Elaine Chambers, a proud Kuku Yalangi/Koa Aboriginal woman from Brisbane.

Brisbane event

The highlight of NAIDOC celebrations in Brisbane was the Musgrave Park Family Fun Day. Held on Friday 11 July, it was a wonderful celebration that drew people of all ages and all walks of life. Attractions included free kids' rides, an Elders tent, traditional and contemporary dancing, three live performance stages, career stalls, arts and craft and face painting, as well as traditional food. The QTU joined with other unions at the Queensland Council of Unions stall. QTU officers and members (pictured centre) volunteered, discussing the Stolen Wages campaign and recruiting photo volunteers for the QCU’s protest against the forced closure of remote Aboriginal communities in Western Australia and South Australia. The Department of Education and Training had a stall with great freebies and face painting by elders while also encouraging pre-service teachers to consider teaching in remote and rural locations.

NAIDOC Awards

In addition to the national NAIDOC awards, the Queensland Council of Unions also runs an awards ceremony during NAIDOC Week, which celebrates the achievements of unions and activists in furthering social justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The Electrical Trades Union received the union award for the work they did in remote Aboriginal communities during the state election campaign. Fellow educator and Queensland Independent Education Union member Thersa Nunn (pictured bottom) received the activist award for her commitment to education, particularly for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students at her school.