Department of Justice host NAIDOC Week celebrating community involvement with Aboriginal culture

The Department of Justice have hosted the final NAIDOC event, raising flags and hosting a morning tea to honour the importance of community.

NAIDOC week finished last Sunday, but on Friday representatives from various community organisations gathered outside Geraldton Courthouse to pay their respect to traditional owners.

Kathleen Councillor performed a welcome to country, before Nola Gregory read a poem which paid homage to this year’s theme, Keep the Fire Burning, Blak, Loud and Proud.

“Voices that were silenced will be ignited once again . . . I will raise my voice and celebrate my people,” Ms Gregory said.

Indigenous and Australian flags were raised by Magistrate Kelly Thompson and Ray Dann.

Assistant superintendent of offender services at Greenough Prison, Dean Wellman, said the event was an example of from little things, big things grow and awarded Samantha Harring a symbol of the department’s gratitude.

Ms Harring chairs the Justice and Community Network committee, and has seen the event grow since its inception in 2019.

She said the Justice and Community Network was formed “because there was a number of agencies trying to do something for national reconciliation and NAIDOC Week, and it could be better doing it as a group”.

“Events such as today really keep the conversations open with the community<” Ms Harring said.

“It just allows us to reflect. How can we do better? and how can we engage more effectively?

“We’ve got damper here made by the prisoners at Greenough Regional Prison, and bracelets made during previous workshops. It’s about trying to get the community to understand what we do as agencies.”