City of Ballarat Mayor Cr Samantha McIntosh will raise the NAIDOC Week flag at Queen Victoria Square, opposite the Town Hall, on Monday 8 July at 10am.
The flag-raising will follow the Koorie Engagement Group's (KEAG) NAIDOC Launch Reception at Housey-Housey tonight.
The flag-raising event will include a Welcome to Country and a traditional smoking ceremony.
A NAIDOC Week Mayoral Reception in Ballarat Town Hall will follow the flag-raising ceremony.
The reception will feature Indigenous catering from Bushfood chef Blake Clark and two performances from Yorta Yorta musician Allara Briggs Pattison.
NAIDOC Week celebrates the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The National NAIDOC theme for 2019 is: "Voice. Treaty. Truth. Let's work together for a shared future".
Ballarat's NAIDOC Week activities are organised by local Aboriginal groups and organisations, the City of Ballarat's Koorie Engagement Group (KEAG), and other community partners. Other activities will include:
The City of Ballarat will host an On Country Bus Tour on Wednesday 10 July. The two busses for this event are already fully-booked.
The City of Ballarat and KEAG will host Facing Up with local writer, researcher and performer Lynden Nicholls. This event features historical speeches by Australian Prime Ministers, a First Nations perspective, at the Prime Ministers Avenue, Ballarat Botanical Gardens on Sunday 14 July at 2pm
Ballarat Libraries will host several themed Storytime and Little Languages sessions at all library locations throughout the week.
The City of Ballarat also celebrates several recent key achievements:
The launch of the City of Ballarat's third Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) 2019-2021 as part of National Reconciliation Week. The City of Ballarat's Intercultural Services team worked with the Koorie Engagement Action Group (KEAG) and Reconciliation Australia to deliver the RAP
The recruitment of the City of Ballarat's first Aboriginal Cultural Liaison officer (currently in recruitment phase)
The City of Ballarat's ongoing consultation with the local community around 26 January public celebrations
KEAG Advisory Committee achievements including the development of an On Country Acknowledgement 'reference card', and KEAG logo.
