NAIDOC week launch event in Sydney Special

Sydney - NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. It is now a weeklong celebration of Aboriginal traditions and culture.

The NAIDOC Week launch event took place on Monday 2 July between 11am and 3pm in Hyde Park, Sydney. The NAIDOC website says it “is a celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander cultures and an opportunity to recognise the contributions of Indigenous Australians in various fields.” There were singers, dancers and an opportunity to learn about Aboriginal traditions and culture. Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore MP The Lord Mayor welcomed everyone to the NAIDOC Week launch celebration and acknowledged and paid respect to the Aboriginal people. “I would like to acknowledge the Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander peoples as the traditional custodians of the land and pay my respects to their elders, both past and present and particularly welcome all Aboriginal people here today and especially the elders. “Welcome to NAIDOC Week in Hyde Park. “NAIDOC Week has been going for many decades, but this is the first time that we have held it here in the green heart of our city and so we are moving the city’s NAIDOC celebrations to another level and we’re really pleased to be doing that. “Yeah, it’s really good, isn’t it that we’re celebrating NAIDOC Week here right in the heart of our city and it gives us an opportunity for the business community, the workers of the city to come and join you this lunch time and also all our visitors who have come to Hyde Park to also experience something of our Aboriginal community.”

Richard Milnes

Lord Mayor of Sydney Clover Moore MP speaks at the launch of NAIDOC Week 2012. A small Aboriginal boy in the foreground listens attentively.

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Richard Milnes

Singer Casey Donovan (the youngest ever winner of Australian Idol when she won the second series at the age of sixteen) at the launch of NAIDOC Week 2012.

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