NAIDOC Week wrapped up in Cootamundra with the names of inspirational indigenous women displayed on the town hall doors.
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Sisters, mums, grandmas and women who were sent to the Cootamundra Girls Home were featured in a display co-ordinated by Amanda Levett.
As part of the event, the Aboriginal flag was raised outside the Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council’s chambers.
Wiradjuri woman Paula Maher said the theme for NAIDOC Week which was ‘Because of Her, We Can’.
“These are women who have given us strength, courage and resilience,” Ms Maher said.
“Even in traditional communities, women were the backbone of the community.
“While men were off hunting, the women were caring for children and taking care of the community.”
Ms Maher said NAIDOC Week celebrations weren’t exclusive to Aboriginal people, but open to everyone.
“It’s for everyone in the community to acknowledge and celebrate indigenous culture,” she said.
Ms Maher said the unrecognised efforts by women were especially clear during and following the Stolen Generation.
“We don’t realise how strong they were, they raised their own children while coping with their own demons, whether they were in the Coota Girls Home or elsewhere,” she said
“Even today we still have a struggle with racism, which is now about educating people.
“Our aunties and grandmas are the ones who teach us to not react in a negative way but to empower each other and ourselves.”
Cootamundra-Gundagai’s mayor Abb McAlister said the this year’s NAIDOC Week theme was something that applied to modern Australian society, not just indigenous communities.
“It was a great celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, the traditional owners of our land,” Councillor McAlister said.
“In every race, women are the ones that keep everything and the community together,” Cr McAlister said.
Cr McAlister said NAIDOC Week celebrations were for everyone, and members of indigenous communities were happy to share their culture with others.