ABOUT 1000 people gathered to celebrate NAIDOC Week at a flag raising ceremony and family fun day at Logan Gardens.
The all-ages gathering brought together members from the Mununjali and Burringilly mobs. Most hailed from Logan and Beaudesert but some travelled from as far as Darwin and Thursday Island to attend.
The event, organised by the Logan District Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation for Elders, was themed Because of Her We Can in recognition of first nation women who empower past, present and future generations with their passion and their strength.
There were addresses by Aunty Kym Harrison and Aunty Kerry Charlton, performances by Mable Park State High School’s Wajin Aboriginal Dance Crew, The Torres Strait Islander dance group Keriba Mabigal, Bill Knox & Band and Mad Mike.
“We couldn’t have hoped for a better day. The sun was out and we sat back and relaxed and listened to some songs performed by Uncle Bill and reminisced about the days when we were all a bit younger,” said Aunty Coral Dessaix.
Acting mayor councillor Cherie Dalley paid tribute to remarkable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women who called Logan home.
“It is hard to imagine what Logan’s vibrant and proud local Indigenous community would be like without its women,” Cr Dalley said.
“Beyond what you might call the traditional roles of being mothers, elders, grandmothers, aunties, sisters and daughters they have fought for equal rights and shaped their communities through their deeds and efforts. They deserve our respect and admiration not just this week but always.”
NAIDOC Week celebrates the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and highlights the often invisible role Indigenous women have played throughout history.
Logan City Council is devising its second Reconciliation Action Plan to develop a strategic framework to support the national Reconciliation movement.