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Heal Country! Our celebration of NAIDOC Week

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Aboriginal NRM

This year we celebrated the NAIDOC Week theme of Heal Country! quite literally by joining staff member Jermaine (Bomber) Davis and our Noongar Boodjar Rangers in a native planting day on Gogulgar Bilya (Avon River).

According to the NAIDOC Week website, the theme of this year’s celebration, “calls for all of us to continue to seek greater protections for our lands, our waters, our sacred sites and our cultural heritage from exploitation, desecration, and destruction.”

Being an organisation that aims to inspire community action, it was important to us that we take some time to not only reflect on this theme but to take action ourselves. On Thursday, our team joined forces with the River Conservation Society in York to plant sedges along the river. This type of activity is integral to improving natural vegetation, minimising erosion and improving the overall health of our waterways.

Gogulgar Bilya holds great cultural significance to the traditional owners, the Ballardong Noongar people. Ensuring its ongoing health and protection is a priority for us because – as the NAIDOC theme says - when we heal Country, we heal the nation.

The day started with a briefing and induction from long-time Noongar Boodja Ranger, Jermaine (Mainy) Davis Junior. We then undertook several hours of planting and then came together for a shared lunch.

We have a strong commitment to strengthening the relationship between people and land. Celebrating this event as a team was a great opportunity for us all to enjoy a few hours connecting with Country and enjoying time together.

To learn more about NAIDOC Week and this year’s theme of “Heal Country”, visit the official NAIDOC Week website.

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