United on Wadawurrung Country

NATIONAL NAIDOC Week 2024 continues until this Sunday with the theme of ‘Keep the Fire Burning, Blak, Loud and Proud.’

Ballarat and District Aboriginal Co-operative and Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation community members of all ages united on Monday morning on the grounds of BADAC to celebrate the occasion with a flag-raising and smoking ceremony.

The highlight of the morning’s proceedings, which were held in partnership with the City of Ballarat, was a performance by the children and young people of the Baarlinjaan Dance Group.

Speakers included Wadawurrung Traditional Owners AC recognition and negotiations general manager Rebekah Devlin, BADAC chief executive of culture, public relations, and engagement Shu Brown, young leader Kiaan Kickett, and deputy mayor Cr Peter Eddy.

“We had really good attendance,” Mr Brown said. “There were so many people representing different organisations and communities.”

Following the smoking ceremony, an annual memorial walk up Lydiard Street to the Ballarat New Cemetery took place in remembrance of Wadawurrung ancestor Frank Mullawallah Wilson.

Other events on the local NAIDOC calendar this week have included sensory bushfoods walk and talks, the BADAC Junior NAIDOC Ball on Monday night, the BADAC Market Street Community Day on Wednesday, and a Wadawurrung plants and stories workshop at the library on Thursday.

A weaving workshop for people over the age of 55 is taking place at Perridak Arts today.

Wadawurrung woman Shannen Mennen said the NAIDOC week celebrations have been an opportunity to celebrate the strength and resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, and to connect with other community members more broadly.

City of Ballarat mayor Cr Des Hudson said partnering with Wadawurrung Traditional Owners AC and BADAC this year is a “significant moment” in the municipality’s steps towards reconciliation.

“We greatly value our relationship with both organisations and the Ballarat Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community and look forward to ongoing collaborations into the future,” he said.

Wadawurrung Country runs from beyond Skipton in the west to Werribee in the east, and from slightly above Beaufort in the north to Aireys Inlet in the south.