Spirit of NAIDOC Week

Last week we all came together to recognise NAIDOC Week, and it felt truly amazing to see everyone across the Royal Perth Bentley Group (RPBG) actively participate in the many events across both sites.

The celebrations held throughout the week perfectly aligned with this year’s theme “Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud” and was a great way to acknowledge, preserve and share the cultural heritage of our First Nations Peoples.

NAIDOC Week is always a special time for East Metropolitan Health Service (EMHS), but this year, it was especially moving to see all the meaningful ways that our staff – both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal – came together to honour the occasion.

EMHS is especially proud to honour the sentiments behind the occasion not just during this special week, but beyond.

This past year, EMHS has been actively learning how to add its voice to the mix and speak up for our Aboriginal patients, their families, and our colleagues.

Our Aboriginal Health Champions Program has been warmly embraced across our East Metro sites, with staff from all backgrounds standing up to take part, as well as members of our Area Executive Group.

As a proud and committed Aboriginal Health Champion, EMHS assures you that the interests of our Aboriginal consumers and our Aboriginal staff will always remain a leading priority.

Robert Thorne Aboriginal Health Liaison Officer, Bentley Health Service For me, NAIDOC is about acknowledging/recognising/sharing Australia’s Aboriginal Culture with every Australian. It teaches and provides respect, understanding and a coming of togetherness to acknowledge a Culture that is thousands and thousands of years old. It’s about remembering traditional practices, song-lines/stories/beliefs. It’s about Aboriginal history and acknowledging past events, it’s about Australia embracing Aboriginal Culture and owning it with Australian Aboriginals. It’s about respecting the Aboriginal Culture and its people, especially Elders past, present and emerging. It’s also about Australia celebrating with Aboriginal people and being proudalongside Aboriginal people of Australian Aboriginal Culture.
Georgina Blurton Aboriginal Health Liaison Officer, RPBG I am a proud Ngarluma Kariera descendant, and for me NAIDOC Week is a time to celebrate different Aboriginal Cultures from seaside to inland. I didn’t grow up learning about Aboriginal Culture or knowing where my descendants were from. I started learning this when I was a teenager, andat first it felt weird being a fair-skinned person trying to fit into two different worlds. For me, the theme this year really hits hard. Once I found out my identity, this is exactly what I did – I stood “Blak, Loud and Proud”.NAIDOC Week for me represents different generations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples sharing their stories and knowledge with one another. It’s uplifting to see the Traditional Dancers and hear the various Aboriginal languages spoken during this week of celebration. I feel especially happy when my kids ask me questions and I am able to pass onto them my knowledge of Aboriginal Culture, so they too feel “Blak, Loud and Proud”.
Mark Day Social Work Manager, RPBG NAIDOC Week represents a significant time when we can collectively celebrate the richness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and culture. A time like this leads me to reflect on my own cultural connections, but also how I can actively listen to others, advocate for, and support initiatives that promote reconciliation and healing. I feel privileged to work closely with our team of Aboriginal Health Liaison Officers (AHLOs), which includes involvement in the planning and participation in the Bush Tucker yarning sessions that take place in the RPH Noongar Moort Ngala Maya (Aboriginal Family Garden: Our Place). These sessions provide the opportunity to connect and listen to the stories of our First Nations patients while enjoying a meal.

The rousing sentiment of “Blak, Loud and Proud” roared through the NAIDOC Week celebrations across EMHS, with highlights from the week captured in this video.