The theme for this year’s NAIDOC Week is ‘Always Was. Always Will Be.’

This week, we acknowledge and celebrate the breadth and depth of First People’s knowledge, achievements, experiences and stories, and connection to country.

Australia is home to the oldest living civilisation on Earth – made up of hundreds of nations and cultures that spanned this continent.

This is rightfully a source of pride for all Australians – First Nations and non-Indigenous alike.

For tens of thousands of years, First Australians practised and accrued knowledge in a range of fields: from exploration and navigation; to farming and botany; science, engineering and astronomy; trade and diplomacy; to art and story-telling.

As the world contemplates the challenges of climate change – from severe bushfires; to catastrophic droughts; and rising sea levels – there is much to learn from First Australians, particularly in relation to land care and sustainability.

NAIDOC is about opening our minds, and to listen and learn.

We may not be celebrating NAIDOC Week the same way we usually do, but all of us can still get involved.

There are various ways we can all safely participate in activities in our local community.

For more information and to find out more about NAIDOC events happening near you, visit www.naidoc.org.au.

MONDAY, 9 NOVEMBER 2020