Orange NAIDOC Week celebrations get underway on Friday

Orange’s annual celebration of Indigenous culture, NAIDOC week, is set to begin on Friday, October 20 and organisers are inviting everyone to participate and get involved in the week of events.

A street march beginning at 10am on Monday, October 23 will signal the official opening of NAIDOC week in Orange. The march will start in the car park in Sale Street between Summer and Byng Streets, and proceed along Summer Street to Robertson Park. At Robertson Park, the opening ceremony will begin at 10.45am and include traditional dances, a flag raising and will be followed by an award presentation to local Indigenous students and a free sausage sizzle for all the community.

Orange City Council Deputy Mayor, Councillor Gerald Power invited all the community to attend the official opening on Monday.

“NAIDOC Week, with its theme this year of ‘For Our Elders’, invites all Australians to acknowledge our history that dates back tens of thousands of years, embrace our culture and celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples,” Cr Power said.

“The theme this year reflects on the importance of elders and how they played a crucial role

across the generations.

During the week-long celebration, Orange Regional Museum will also honour Aboriginal

culture with a dedicated exhibition in the foyer of the museum.

The exhibit – which opens on Friday, October 20 –celebrates Orange’s local elders through the eyes of the next generation and has been produced in conjunction with the Orange NAIDOC Week Committee, the NSW

Aboriginal Education Consultative Group, and local elders.

The NAIDOC Community Awards Night at the Orange Ex-Services’ Club on Saturday 28 October, will conclude the week of celebrations.

Other events throughout the week include a Family Fun Day, Ladies Night Out and a NAIDOC Elders Lunch.

The full program of NAIDOC week events can be found on page 13, and on the Orange City Council website.

Tickets for the  NAIDOC Community Awards Nigh can be purchased at www.123tix.com.au/events/39513/2023-orange-naidoc-ball