This year’s NAIDOC Week theme is ‘Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud’.

We, at Bankstown Central pay our respect to Elders past and present, who across every generation, play an important role in our communities. They are cultural knowledge holders, trailblazers, nurturers, advocates, teachers, survivors, and leaders.

NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Australians to come together to celebrate the rich history, diverse cultures and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the oldest continuing culture.

In 2024, NAIDOC Week is celebrated from Sunday 7 July to Sunday 14 July.

The acronym NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. NAIDOC has its roots in the 1939 Day of Mourning, becoming a week long event in 1975, and from the first Sunday to second Sunday in July each year. 2024 marks 86 years since the first National Aborigine and Islander Day of Observance Committee (NAIDOC).

Every year, the National NAIDOC Week Poster Competition sees Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists submit their artworks which reflect the yearly theme. This year, the winner is Deb Belyea, a proud Samuawgadhalgal, Torres Strait artist. Deb’s artwork Urapun May, translated from the Kalaw Kawaw Ya dialect of the Top Western Islands of the Torres Strait, means ‘One Fire’.

‘The title of this work pays homage to Torres Strait Islanders and Aboriginal people everywhere, as we all have that one fire: our passion for our culture.

‘In this work, I have depicted the hands of our ancestors that have carefully dropped a burning ember on to a fire. This ember burns hot with intensity, stoking the flames, as it combines with the new fire. The linear detail shows the energy and power as cultural knowledge is transferred from our ancestors to us today. Culture is the fire that gives us knowledge, wisdom and purpose.

‘It is our responsibility to maintain, practice, and pass on our fire to our future generations.’

‘Afterall, Culture keeps us Blak, Loud and Proud.’ Says Deb.