Narrandera Shire Council has marked NAIDOC Week with several events and a call for the community to connect in the spirit of respect, reconciliation and understanding.

A Community Flag Raising ceremony at Marie Bashir Park on Monday marked the start of the NAIDOC Week celebrations, followed by a cuppa, yarn and the Fish Trap Experience at the Discovery Hub.

NAIDOC Story Time was also a highlight at the library on Tuesday.

Narrandera Shire mayor, councillor Neville Kschenka said NAIDOC Week is an important opportunity for the community to recognise and celebrate the “enduring cultures and contributions” of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

“NAIDOC Week provides an opportunity for our community to come together, learn from one another and celebrate the rich histories, cultures and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples,” Cr Kschenka said.

“Council encourages community members to take part in the week’s activities and join us in recognising this important milestone of 50 years of NAIDOC.”

Councillor Braden Lyons said NAIDOC Week was an opportunity to invite the entire community to celebrate, understand and support Aboriginal people and culture.

In a post on social media, he said NAIDOC Week was more than a celebration, describing it as a time to honour the world’s oldest living culture, recognise the strength, resilience and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and reflect on the journey that still lies ahead.

“We’ll never be together as a country without respecting each other,” Cr Lyons said.

“This week reminds us that while there is so much to celebrate and there are also struggles that continue today.”

Cr Lyons emphasised that many Aboriginal communities still face inequality in health, education, housing and employment, with many families continuing to carry the impacts of “dispossession, racism and intergenerational trauma”.

He believes Aboriginal youth are suffering and “going down the wrong path and they don’t realise before sadly, it’s too late”.

Cr Lyons said the Aboriginal people of Narrandera’s connection to Country stretched back countless generations, with their story, language, traditions and “deep knowledge of the land” continuing to shape the community today.

He spoke about how NAIDOC Week offered the chance for everyone to listen, learn and walk alongside Aboriginal people and encouraged people to “speak up against discrimination and harmful stereotypes and stand together in support of truth, respect and justice”.

“It’s about celebrating culture, supporting community, respecting elders and ensuring the next generation grows up proud of who they are and where they come from,” Cr Lyons said.

“Reconciliation is not the responsibility of Aboriginal people alone, it belongs to every Australian.

“Each of us has a role to play in creating communities where Aboriginal people feel safe, respected and valued.

“That means calling out racism, rejecting attacks on Aboriginal people and their cultures and choosing understanding over division.”

Cr Lyons encouraged the community to celebrate the resilience of the Narrandera Aboriginal community during NAIDOC Week, while honouring those who came before, supporting today’s leaders and committing to a future built on justice, respect, reconciliation and shared responsibility.

Celebrations will continue tomorrow (Friday) with a Local Aboriginal Land Council Community Day at the Showground Hall from 11am to 2pm.

Pictured: Aunty Jennifer Johnson, her son Geoffrey Johnson and Master of Ceremonies Cr Braden Lyons at the flag-raising ceremony in the Marie Bashir Park.