Town ready for week-long celebrations

This Friday Broome will begin celebrating NAIDOC Week, themed to mark the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy.

Anne Martin and Benjamin Mitchell, National NAIDOC Committee co-chairs, said this year’s theme, selected by the committee, was to celebrate the anniversary and acknowledge key contributors to the embassy’s long history.

Broome’s celebrations start with a Reconciliation Walk, with people to depart from Indigenous Coordination Centre and arrive at Shire of Broome office lawns by 9.30am for the Kullari NAIDOC Opening Ceremony.

On Saturday night, the Kullari NAIDOC Awards Ceremony at Goolarri Media Enterprises will acknowledge high-achiever local, indigenous community members.

The rest of the week will include events such as Friday’s Magabala Books launch for local author Bronwyn Houston’s book My Home Broome and quiz night at the Gimme Club.

On Sunday, Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church will host a special Sunday mass and morning tea, followed by an outreach lunch at Nicholas Emo Centre.

That evening at Goolarri’s outdoor amphitheatre there will be a PAKAM Indigenous Film Night.

On Tuesday, Sisters of St John of God Heritage Centre and Wirriya Liyan Counselling Service and Catholic Education Office will hold an open day at 9 Barker Street, while Mamabulanjin Aboriginal Organisation will host a traditional-food-taster day and a walk will be held at Minyirr Park.

On Friday, Kimberley Stolen Generation will hold an event.

To finish celebrations, One Arm Point community will host the One Mob NAIDOC closing ceremony and Dampier Peninsula NAIDOC Ball. For information, visit www.goolarri.com/naidoc.