On Tuesday 5th July, Heywood Rural Health (HRH) held a NAIDOC Week event to recognise the commitment to this years’ NAIDOC theme ‘Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up! following their successes through collaborative and cooperative reforms.
The event was opened with a Welcome to Country by Aunty Janice Lovett and her granddaughter Rhani and performances by the Koondoom Yarkeen Karweeyn Aboriginal Dance Group, including the Welcome Dance, Fire Dance along with other dance stories.
To wrap up the day’s event there was an unveiling of Thomas Day’s two by four metre artwork “Nyootyoong Mirring, Nyootyoong Mara meaning ‘Healthy Country, Healthy People.
The artwork, as well as Thomas, could not make it to the event, but the painting was displayed digitally and described by Mr Day’s cousin, Chief Executive Officer at Winda-Mara Aboriginal Corporation, Jason Walker.
“Tom is a Gunditjmarra man, travelling and residing up in Shepparton, he grew up here as a kid,” Mr Walker said. “His painting tells a story of the journey, seasonal change, landscape and Heathy People, Healthy Country.”
“It’s a good reflection in regards to the Moorayt room and hopefully people, when they come here, while dealing with illness or grief, they can relate to the painting.”
NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for everyone in our community to learn about the local cultures and histories of the Gunditjmara, Bunganditj and Jardwadjali people.
We thank the many people that came along to share their stories, wisdom and history as we celebrated the culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
