Ngala kaaditj Wadjuk moort keyen kaadak nidja boodja - We acknowledge Noongar people as the original custodians of the land on which our Perth office sits.
This year, National Reconciliation Week occurred from 27 May to 3 June. This year's theme, 'In This Together', couldn't have been more fitting with the way communities at large have come together during the COVID-19 crisis. Each year, Reconciliation Week celebrates how far Australia has come in its reconciliation journey and recognises the importance of continuing to develop respectful relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and other Australians.
The theme of this year highlights the role everyone has to play when it comes to reconciliation, and in playing our part we collectively build relationships and communities that value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories, and cultures.
Cancer Council WA is committed to closing the gap of cancer burden between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people, and to work towards an equitable cancer free future for everyone including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Our Reconciliation Action Plan represents our ongoing commitment to work together with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to reduce the incidence and impact of cancer and contribute towards reconciliation.
Twenty years after the reconciliation bridge walk, we stop to pause and consider what Reconciliation Week means. Public health consultant and Yorta Yorta woman, Summer May Finlay, has written a thoughtful article for Intouch blog about how we can support reconciliation. As just three per cent of the Australian population, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people need the other 97 per cent of Australians to help if we are ever to see true reconciliation.
NAIDOC Week is usually held from the first to second Sunday in July each year, however, the National NAIDOC Committee has decided to postpone NAIDOC Week 2020 in the interest and safety of communities. Cancer Council WA celebrates NAIDOC Week every year to recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal peoples, and now look forward to holding our official organisational activities for NAIDOC week during 8-15 November 2020.
In the meantime, NAIDOC committee member and Yawuru woman, Shannon Dodson, has compiled this helpful list for those looking for ways to positively and meaningfully engage with Indigenous Australia.
