Barbara will be at National NAIDOC Week on 7th July 2023 between 12pm and 2pm at the stall of the State Library of Queensland (SLQ). She will be reading from my book and selling copies.
NAIDOC Week 2023 is this year’s week-long celebration of the history and cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islander peoples. It is held for a week, starting with the first Sunday in July.
This year NAIDOC Week will be held from Sunday, July 2nd through to Sunday, July 9th at Fogarty Park, Esplanade, Cairns City Queensland 4870, (07) 4044 3715.
NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. The theme this year is ‘For Our Elders’, selected to reflect the important role that Elders play in the lives of Indigenous Australians.
The origins of NAIDOC Week stem back to 1938, and the inaugural Day of Mourning. The Day of Mourning was held on the day before Australia Day and was a protest marking the 150th anniversary of the arrival of settlers to Australia. It was successfully organised to highlight the plight of Indigenous Australians, to open a political dialogue and to raise public awareness. In 1957, the day was moved from January to July and became a celebration as well as a memorial. In 1991 it was made a week-long celebration and expanded to include Torres Straight Islander Peoples.