WARNING: THIS ARTICLE DEPICTS THE IMAGE OF AN ELDER WHO HAS PASSED
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The area's Aboriginal elders were honoured at a function in Goulburn on Wednesday to celebrate NAIDOC Week.
Goulburn Performing Arts Centre hosted a luncheon for 30 community members and several elders. Manager, Raina Savage, said the venue happily supported the event, given the importance of NAIDOC Week for the entire community.
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The afternoon included screening of After the Apology, directed by Indigenous rights advocate, writer and academic, Larissa Behrendt. It documents the rise in Indigenous child removal since former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's apology to the 'stolen generations' in 2008.
Ms Savage said some 60 people also attended an open screening of the documentary on Tuesday night.
On Wednesday, the lunch opened with a welcome to country by Jikayia Little. She was wearing a shirt depicting a photo of her late grandmother and respected elder, Evelyn Little. Mrs Little died in November, 2022.
Event coordinator, Wiradjuri woman, Cecelia McKenzie, said Mrs Little was a senior elder who was especially remembered this week.
"Her loss is keenly felt by her community," she said.
Pathways, Goulburn secured a grant from National Indigenous Aboriginal Australians for the function.
"It's important to honour our elders and the significant impact they have on our lives," Ms McKenzie said.
"We wouldn't be at this point in the debate about the Voice referendum without their hard work. We sit on the shoulders of giants."
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NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Observance Committee. The 2023 week carries the theme - 'For our Elders.'
Mulwaree Aboriginal Community Inc public officer, Jennie Gordon, said it grew out of the 1938 'day of mourning' in Sydney. This was a day of protest by Aboriginals on the 150th anniversary of the First Fleet's arrival.
"This year is very significant," she said.
Mrs Gordon was one of 250 signatories to the Uluru Statement from the Heart, which preceded the Voice referendum. She is an advocate for the yes vote and for "truth telling."
On Wednesday, she was especially thinking of her father and Aboriginal elder, Keith Apps, who died on Saturday, July 1. His twin brother, Cecil, passed away 28 days earlier.
NAIDOC Week continues on Saturday, July 8 with a free community barbecue in Belmore Park from 10am to 1.30pm. The day includes face painting, an 'elders gazebo' and art and craft displays.
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