05 July, 2021

NAIDOC Week celebrations return to Rundle Mall

The City of Adelaide is excited to present its NAIDOC Week Celebrations in Rundle Mall once again, after last year’s festivities were unfortunately cancelled.

Having initially been postponed in July 2020 due to COVID-19, the events were then abandoned in November because of wild weather.

But the celebrations are back with the City of Adelaide presenting NAIDOC in the Mall tomorrow morning, starting with a traditional Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony.

Free community activities include face painting, bead threading, live music and the opportunity to meet some Australian native animals.

This year’s artwork by local emerging artist Keisha Milera will be unveiled at the Gawler Place canopy, with Adelaide Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor urging everyone to attend the family friendly events.

“NAIDOC week is a celebration of Aboriginal history and cultures and these activities provide an excellent opportunity in the school holidays for everyone to support our local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities,” said the Lord Mayor.

Celebrations continue Wednesday with the Lord Mayor’s NAIDOC luncheon, before the annual NAIDOC SA march, with more than one thousand people expected to walk from Victoria Square / Tarntanyangga to Parliament House.

This year’s theme is “Heal Country” which calls for greater protections for Aboriginal lands, waters, sacred sites and cultural heritage.

The City of Adelaide will be giving away free Gunggaradji t-shirts designed by CUPPA by Keisha celebrating the birth of the Aboriginal flag, at various events. Aunty Yvonne Agius Co-Chairs Adelaide’s Reconciliation Committee with the Lord Mayor and says 2021 is a particularly important year.

“This year is the 50th anniversary of the Aboriginal Flag, so this year’s scheduled events will be unmissable,” said Aunty Yvonne.

“This week is about empowering Aboriginal peoples to stand up, speak and tell our stories to educate the community about our beautiful oldest living cultures.”

NAIDOC week 2021 will be held nationally from Sunday July 4 and continue through to Sunday July 11.

A list of activities can be found on our NAIDOC week page and at www.naidoc.org.au.

Jack Berketa