Always Was, Always Will Be

NAIDOC Week provides an important opportunity for Anglicare NT staff to recognise and celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We are proud to live and work on Aboriginal land, and we know so much more is needed to achieve true recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge, ways of being, ways of knowing and human rights.

Recognition of Aboriginal sovereignty and self-determination is a long journey and our programs continue to work hard to build processes that enable two-way learning, ensuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff and communities help shape the way we deliver services.

While national NAIDOC events were postponed this year, Anglicare NT celebrated the week with several local events. In Darwin, staff members were joined by families residing at our short-term housing complex to recognise and celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their enduring connection to country – as it ‘Always Was, Always Will Be’ Aboriginal land. The day included a Welcome to Larrakia Country by Nicole Brown and her 7-year-old son, a flag raising ceremony, children’s activities, basket weaving and entertainment from the band Midnight Cruz. We are grateful to Larrakia Nation for providing support to ensure the event was a success.

A family fun day was also held at our Garaworra short term accommodation site. Families and children had the opportunity to decorate their own NAIDOC t-shirts, and Harold the Healthy Giraffe engaged everyone in a fun discussion about health, germs and friendships. The event built on the collaborative work of several of our services at Garaworra over the past months, with the Housing Options Pathway Program, Home Interaction Program for Parents & Youngsters and East Arnhem Children’s Services delivering a suite of two-way learning activities to families.

In Katherine, the team celebrated NAIDOC Week with a screening of the short documentary ‘Our Law’. Our Law is a short film about Western Australia’s first Indigenous run police station and the trust that is built between police officers and the community.