About 200 people in Brimbank attended a NAIDOC week flag-raising ceremony and art launch to celebrate the stories, cultures and histories of First Nations peoples.
Uncle Shane Charles, who was recently inducted into the Victorian Aboriginal Honour Roll, said NAIDOC week is an event for all the community to come and enjoy and celebrate.
“It’s an opportunity to come and celebrate NAIDOC with First Nations people, and it’s a week that we celebrate our resilience,” he said.
This year’s NAIDOC week theme was, the next generation: strength, vision and legacy.
It celebrates First Nations peoples achievements of the past, the resilience and legacy of communities, and their bright vision for the future.
“We’re still here…and we’re thriving in our communities,” said Uncle Shane, who was one of the speakers at the Brimbank event.
“We continue on, we keep doing what we’re doing and with the hope of Treaty in sight, it can help restore culture and bring community together, but also build a capacity for community.”
A newly-restored artwork was also launched as part of the celebrations, which were held by Brimbank council.
The Five elements artwork at Sunvale Park, created by Aunty Lee-Anne Clark and Aunty Mandi Barton, was originally installed in 2019.
The work was restored by the artists with the help of renowned mosaicist Dr Helen Bodycomb.
Aunty Lee-Anne said the reimagined work brings the original stories within each element into the present day.
She said she hopes the mosaics bring viewers joy and “knowledge around First Nations people, our beliefs and what’s important to us.”
The five universal elements featured in the work — Spirit (Bunjil the creator), water, fire, earth, and air and wind — are represented to highlight the traditional Wurundjeri culture in Brimbank
Dr Bodycomb said she would like the restored artwork to spark conversations about First Nations stories when people visit the park.
“It’s a way of providing a series of canvasses for these stories that are so important, and they can be carried forward as conversation focusses,” she said.
