A range of activities and events are being planned as part of this year’s local NAIDOC Week celebrations.

National NAIDOC Week in Narrandera will be celebrated from Sunday 5 July to Sunday 12 July.

The local celebrations are hosted by the Narrungdera Yulang Committee (formerly the Narrandera NAIDOC Committee) in partnership with the Narrandera Shire Council.

Local community events, cultural displays and youth activities typically feature:

• Community flag raising and opening ceremony: Usually held at significant local sites, such as the Narrandera Wetlands or Marie Bashir Park, featuring traditional smoking ceremonies and dances.

• Cultural and educational gatherings: Local workshops, art showcases and storytelling sessions celebrating the history of the Wiradjuri and Narrungdera people.

The annual Australian observance celebrates the history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The events are designed for all Australians to learn about and participate in celebrations of the world’s oldest continuous living culture and to honour the local Aboriginal people and their customs, promoting cultural understanding.

This year’s milestone event celebrates 50 years of NAIDOC Week with the theme – “Fifty Years of Deadly”.

For five decades, NAIDOC Week has celebrated the voices of local communities and now it looks to the future – the next 50 years.

Another integral part of NAIDOC Week is the National NAIDOC Poster competition, which has become an iconic feature portraying a rich and significant history, starting in 1967 when the National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) first began producing posters.

Selected from submissions across the country, Paralpi by proud Yankunytjatjara man, Zaachariaha Fielding, from the APY Lands in South Australia has been chosen as the official poster this year.

Recognised as one of the country’s leading contemporary First Nations artists and musicians, Zaachariaha is known internationally through the music duo Electric Fields.

Paralpi reflects movement, energy and continuity, carrying the stories of ancestors forward while celebrating the creativity and cultural power of the next generation.

The poster is available in Kmart and Target stores nationally.