Curtin University of Technology will celebrate NAIDOC Week with a host of events on its Bentley Campus this week.
A flag raising ceremony was held on Monday 6 July, and later this week a celebration at the Faculty of Health Sciences’ Centre for International Health and also a joint celebration at the Centre for Aboriginal Studies with agencies from the Department of Human Services will be held to celebrate the national event.
The flag raising ceremony was held at Curtin’s main flag poles with Curtin student Peter Harris speaking on the 2009 NAIDOC Week theme Honouring our Elders, Nurturing our Youth. Guests were then treated to morning tea and entertainment by AbMusic students.
The Faculty of Health Sciences will celebrate NAIDOC Week with a display about bush medicines, stories from elders and music at an event at the Centre for International Health.
A joint NAIDOC Week celebration will be held by the Centre for Aboriginal Studies (CAS) and Department of Human Services agencies Centrelink, Medicare and the Child Support Agency on Wednesday 8 July at the Centre for Aboriginal Studies at Curtin. Approximately 120 guests will be entertained by Aboriginal dancers and singers plus guest speaker Phillip Martin, a young person having success working for Qantas.
Director of CAS, Associate Professor Anita Lee Hong, said that it was exciting that a number of events were being held at Curtin during NAIDOC Week.
“Curtin is fantastic in ensuring that they support Indigenous initiatives, and it is great to see so many events happening during NAIDOC Week,” she said.
“CAS is looking forward to joining with Department of Human Services agencies to host an event celebrating both our elders and youth.
“All agencies involved in the event have nominated both elders and young people to be acknowledged at the event and be presented with a certificate.”
Curtin is still the first university in Australia to have a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) which was launched on 27 May 2008.
