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NAIDOC Week

4-11 July 2009

What is NAIDOC Week?

• NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia each July to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. 
• NAIDOC Week will be held from 4-11 July 2009.
  

What does NAIDOC mean?

• NAIDOC originally stood for 'National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee'. This committee was once responsible for organising national activities during NAIDOC Week and its acronym has since become the name of the week itself.
  

National NAIDOC Awards

• The annual National NAIDOC Awards recognise the outstanding contributions that Indigenous Australians make to improve the lives of Indigenous people in their communities and beyond, or to promote Indigenous issues in the wider community, or the excellence they've shown in their chosen field. 
• There are awards in nine different categories, covering a diverse range of fields and talents. They include apprentices, artists, Elders, sportspeople, youths, and scholars. A Lifetime Achievement Award may be presented to recognise a sustained contribution to Indigenous people. 
• The National NAIDOC Awards are announced at the ceremony and ball held in the national focus city. The host city in 2009 is Brisbane and the Ball will be held on 10 July.

NAIDOC Week 2009 theme

• The national theme for this year's NAIDOC Week celebrations is Honouring Our Elders, Nurturing Our Youth. The theme encourages our communities to acknowledge the status of our Elders as leaders and role models for our youth.
  

National poster competition

• The 2009 NAIDOC Week poster features artwork by Luke Mallie, winning artist of the National NAIDOC poster competition. Luke's artwork, created from acrylic, water colour and ink on paper, is titled Carrying On Our Culture and was judged the winner by the National NAIDOC Committee from a record 140 entries. 
• If you would like to receive free copies of the 2009 NAIDOC Week poster, visit www.NAIDOC.org.au and complete the online order form or call 1800 050 009
  

National NAIDOC Committee

• The National NAIDOC Committee makes key decisions on national NAIDOC activities including the focus city, the theme, the national NAIDOC poster competition winner and the NAIDOC awards winners.
• The 2009 National NAIDOC committee members are: 
• Anne Martin (Co-chairperson)
• Benjamin Mitchell (Co-chairperson)
• Trish Williams (State representative)
• Jason Glanville
• Jason Field
• Rosalind Coleman
• Billawara Lee
• Maurice Walker
• Carol Pettersen
• Cristilee Louttit
• Steve Widders
  

Australian Government support for NAIDOC Week

• For many years, the Australian Government has supported national NAIDOC celebrations as well as providing grants through Indigenous Coordination Centres (ICCs) to fund local celebrations.

Getting involved

• Wherever you live, you can take part in NAIDOC Week celebrations. To find out about NAIDOC Week activities in your area, contact your nearest ICC on free call 1800 079 098, except Nhulunbuy (1800 089 148), Kalgoorlie (1800 193 357) and Kununurra (1800 193 348).
  

For more information on NAIDOC and its history please see www.naidoc.org.au