August 4th, 2024Celebrating NAIDOC with art and song

It was impressive to hear multiple school children reeling off the names of famous Indigenous Australians through history as they gathered for a special event in the Creswick Neighbourhood Centre hall.

Hundreds of children from Creswick Primary School, Creswick North Primary and St Augustine’s attended the special NAIDOC event that took place last Wednesday (July 24) following the earlier national event that had coincided with the school holidays.

“NAIDOC week should be a month. It’s worth celebrating,” said musician and music educator Cocosounds’ Stella Savy, who taught the children some Indigenous songs and accompanying moves.

The children also learnt about time-honoured Indigenous traditions like respect for Elders, Welcome to Country, and Acknowledgement of Country – and the difference between them, as well as what the acronym NAIDOC actually stands for – National Aboriginal and Islanders Day Observance Committee.

Outside the hall it was a chance for the children to launch the finished results of a special arts project to which they’d all contributed, along with preschool and playgroup children.

“There are at least 400 shapes in the mural that were made by the local men’s and women’s sheds and the children have then decorated them using Indigenous style art and colour and they’ve all been curated on the panels by local artist Dale Oliver,” CNC manager Chrissy Austin said

Words & images: Eve Lamb