NAIDOC Week
NAIDOC stands for the National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. The acronym NAIDOC has since become the name of the week itself.
NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Australians to learn about First nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth. NAIDOC Week is celebrated nationally not only in indigenous communities, but by Australians from all walks of life. The week is a great opportunity to participate in a range of activities and to support your local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
This year NAIDOC Week will fall on 6-13 July.
See below for events happening in the Bellingen Shire.
Urunga NAIDOC Week event - 12 July 2025
NAIDOC Celebrations by Galangga Biindarray Indigenous Corporation in partnership with Neighbourhood Centres of the Bellingen Shire
Location:
Urunga Sail Training Club, Urunga
Date & Time:
12 July 2025, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
The event will feature:
-
a Welcome to Country and a smoking ceremony
-
Yarning Circle sessions facilitated by Elders
-
traditional storytelling
-
engaging arts activities, such as face painting and air-dry clay moulding
-
traditional bush foods like kangaroo stew and damper with morning tea will be provided to encourage community participation and cultural sharing.
The event will also feature a display of the Biindarray Yuurun Sail tapestry.
In 2022-24, a 'Bindarray Yurruun Sail' Creative-Placemaking cross-cultural project brought community together (30 artists/craftspeople), who weaved and slow-sewed our shared Indigenous-European River Histories story onto a 9x4mtr Sail. The project mapped the Gumbaynggirr maritime history of place, pre-contact, contact, colonial, through to contemporary times.
This project was part funded by Bellingen Council under the Creative Placemaking Fund - Round 2 - 2022/23.
Mylestom NAIDOC Week event - 19 July 2025
NAIDOC Celebrations by Galangga Biindarray Indigenous Corporation in partnership with Neighbourhood Centres of the Bellingen Shire
Location:
Alma Doepel Reserve, Mylestom
Date & Time:
19 July 2025, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
The event will feature:
-
a Welcome to Country and a smoking ceremony
-
Yarning Circle sessions facilitated by Elders
-
traditional storytelling
-
engaging arts activities, such as face painting and air-dry clay moulding
-
traditional bush foods like kangaroo stew and damper with morning tea will be provided to encourage community participation and cultural sharing.
The event will also feature a display of the Biindarray Yuurun Sail tapestry.
In 2022-24, a 'Bindarray Yurruun Sail' Creative-Placemaking cross-cultural project brought community together (30 artists/craftspeople), who weaved and slow-sewed our shared Indigenous-European River Histories story onto a 9x4mtr Sail. The project mapped the Gumbaynggirr maritime history of place, pre-contact, contact, colonial, through to contemporary times.
This project was part funded by Bellingen Council under the Creative Placemaking Fund - Round 2 - 2022/23.
Combined Dorrigo Plateau Schools NAIDOC Week event
The Dorrigo Plateau Local Aboriginal Lands Council will be working with all schools on the Plateau to deliver the Dorrigo Plateau Schools NAIDOC event. This event brings together all schools on the plateau, from preschool to high school, with age-appropriate workshops featuring Indigenous food, music, dance, and art.
Taking place at the start of Term 3 on Wednesday 30 July, this year’s event will also feature an artwork competition to select designs to feature on the bridge panels on the new Bielsdown River Footbridge - the pedestrian bridge connecting Dorrigo High School and the Recreation Reserve.
Library NAIDOC week events
The three Bellingen Shire libraries in Dorrigo, Bellingen and Urunga will be running displays showcasing their Aboriginal Collection and invite the community to come in and explore their extensive collection of Gumbaynggirr language materials.
Dorrigo Library will also be hosting a NAIDOC Week Vintage Film Club with a FREE screening of “In My Blood it Runs” on Friday 4 July at 2pm. All the community is welcome to attend.
