Indigenous Affairs Minister Kim Hames has joined with Glenda Kickett, NAIDOC Perth Committee chairperson, in calling upon all Western Australians to join in the NAIDOC Week activities, starting on Sunday, July 5.
Dr Hames said the theme for 2009 NAIDOC Week ‘Honouring our Elders, Nurturing our Youth’ would resonate with WA’s multicultural society.
“NAIDOC Week is about celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, the richness, the diversity and the very positive contribution these peoples have made and continue to make in our community,” he said.
“Aboriginal culture is the oldest living culture on earth and as Western Australians we all benefit from sharing the history and the experience. I feel all of us can join with NAIDOC and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in showing respect for our elders and taking special care of our young people.”
Ms Kickett welcomed the support of the Minister and recognised the plethora of quiet achievers in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
“There are so many stand-out Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander role models, including our elders and our young people,” Ms Kickett said.
“These role models break down the negative stereotypes and have a deep commitment to achieve a reconciled community.
“NAIDOC Week is about celebrating these people, sharing their achievements and even sometimes the challenges.”
NAIDOC stands for the National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee. Its origins can be traced to the emergence of Aboriginal groups in the 1920s which sought to increase awareness in the wider community of the status and treatment of indigenous Australians.
The NAIDOC Perth Committee invites all Western Australians to join in the celebrations. Further information about NAIDOC Perth activities is available on its website at http://www.naidocperth.org
