Midland NAIDOC is a highlight of the year – not just for the team at Indigo Junction, but the whole Midland Community! It is a day when everyone comes together to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, filled with live music, dance performances, community stalls, free food and family fun. This year’s event was the biggest and best yet, with a record number of stalls and people attending.
Preparations kicked off months in advance when the Midland NAIDOC Committee was busily gathering Community Award nominations, organising entertainment and coordinating the ins and outs of the event. Meanwhile, the Moorditj Maaman Men’s Group made quandong jam to gift to the Elders and planned the lunch menu.
On Midland NAIDOC eve, the Moorditj Maaman and Indigo Junction staff members spent the day in the kitchen at Governor Stirling High School cooking up a feast of kangaroo stew, kebabs and delicious damper.
This year, Midland NAIDOC was a sunny 30-degree day with a clear blue sky! Weeip Park was filled with smiling faces, joyful music and community spirit! A smoking ceremony with Derek Nannup playing the didgeridoo, followed by a Welcome to Country from Brenda Larsen signalled the start of the event. The flags were raised, and the first entertainer took to the stage; the lovely Shakaylee Wallam.
Next up was the mayor’s address from Tanya Richardson followed by the Minister for Planning; Lands; Housing; Homelessness Hon. John Carey MLA announcing the launch of the Place Names Maali project – a collaboration between Landgate and the City of Swan. Project facilitator Dr Len Collard from Moodjar Consulting shared more about the project, which centres around decoding Noongar language and discovering the meaning behind place names for many locations across the City of Swan.
The entertainment continued with music from Natasha Eldridge and Band, dancing by Woodbridge Primary School, and highlights from the NAIDOC fashion showcase presented by Miranda Farmer. The Moorditj Maaman, along with musicians and language facilitators Kobi Arthur Morrison and Cyndy Moody, performed an exclusive sneak-peak from the album ‘Maaman Weitj: Noongar Lullabies from Swan’ which was created for Community Arts Network’s Lullabies project.
In the afternoon, City of Swan Aboriginal Partnership and Development Officer John Mogridge and Indigo Junction CEO Sharon Gough kicked off the Community Awards and Art Awards presentations. A huge congratulations to all of the wonderful winners – and in particular to our Strong Fathers Worker (and Moorditj Maaman member) Jon Blurton who won the Male Elder of the Year Award.
We welcomed the Elders to the stage who spoke words of wisdom and told the community about their book project, in which they come together to share personal stories and insights. To close out the celebrations, the crowd enjoyed didgeridoo music played by Derek Nannup, dancing by Aliwah Cultural Enterprise, and then the beautiful voices of Natasha Eldridge and Angela Rule filled the air.
A huge thank you and congratulations to everyone involved in another successful Midland NAIDOC!
