A diverse and inclusive community will benefit from two Townsville City Council grants.
The community initiatives supported by Council are the 2023 Townsville NAIDOC Week Events and the 2023 Filipino Festival with large grants.
The grants were passed in this week's Ordinary Council meeting, with $49,029.02 awarded to the Townsville NAIDOC Committee and $49,563.24 to the Filipino-Australian Association of North Queensland for their annual flagship events.
NAIDOC week runs from 2 - 9 July and this year's theme 'For Our Elders' recognises the role Elders have had, and continue to have, across every generation in our communities and families.
The Townsville NAIDOC Committee will use this grant to host three community events – a Flag Raising on Sunday 2 July, and the Townsville NAIDOC March and Townsville Deadly Day Out (a family fun day) on Friday 7 July.
These events are open to all local Townsville community members to celebrate the influence of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture in Townsville and across Australia.
Chair of Council's Community and Cultural Development Committee chairperson Ann-Maree Greaney said these events this initiative will have over 4,550 participants, attendees and volunteers, including 500 from outside the Townsville Local Government Area.
"NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Australians to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth," Cr Greaney said.
Council is also excited to partner with the local Filipino community as they celebrate the Philippine Independence 125th anniversary, the Filipino-Australian Association of North Queensland's (FAANQ) 36th anniversary, and the 14th Filipino Festival in Townsville.
The 2023 Filipino festival is a free family-friendly community event which will run from 9.00am on Saturday, 10 June at Raintree Grove in the Riverway Complex.
It will feature cultural songs and dances, food stalls with traditional Filipino dishes and delicacies, a fashion show with contemporary Filipino designs and fireworks display to cap off the festival.
"Council provides these grants because these community organisations have demonstrated that they make an incredibly positive contribution to Townsville," Cr Greaney said.
"They each deliver the sorts of events and activities that help us realise our goal to grow a sustainable city where people can actively engage in arts, sports, events and recreational activities."
Visit Council's Grants and Partnerships page for information on grants and partnerships available to community groups.
