To begin NAIDOC Week, Rumbalara Aboriginal Co-operative hosted its annual flag raising ceremony.
More than 100 people gathered on Monday, July 4, to take part in the event at Rumbalara in Mooroopna.
While celebrating culture, speaker and City of Greater Shepparton Councillor Greg James said it was also a time of reflection.
“The reason why we can get up, stand up and be proud of our identity and our rightful place in today’s society, is attributed to our Elders and our ancestors’ activism back in the late nineteenth century and on into the early 20th century,” he said.
He said it was important to recognise the origins and the establishment of NAIDOC, had from the came from Yorta Yorta Nations’ ancestors and Elders.
“Their strength and resilience towards the many draconian attempts of cultural genocide were simply heroic and brave and should never, ever be forgotten.
“The remarkable persistence they showed back then is why we are here today and it’s why we celebrate NAIDOC Week.”
Yorta Yorta artist Brady Jones (Bricky B) also attended the event, giving a rendition of a spoken word piece on the significance of NAIDOC along with Levi Power.
The flag raising was the first event of Rumbalara Co-operative’s NAIDOC Week celebrations.
Chief executive Felicia Dean concluded the ceremony with her interpretation of this year’s NAIDOC Week theme.
“Get up! Stand up! Show up! What does it mean?,” she said.
“It means different things for all of us, for me as a Yorta Yorta woman, I think it’s about people working hard, keep being a voice, keep advocating.
“I’m fighting for equality, I’m fighting for parity, I’m fighting for recognition and self-determination, but most importantly for culture ― my culture, the longest living culture in the world.
“For my non-Aboriginal friends, it means listen deeply, walk with us, put those words into actions, make changes in your organisations and institutions so that they are truly self-reflective of self-determination, early intervention, family decision making.”