NAIDOC Week (4 July - 11 July) celebrates the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This year's theme, Heal Country!, calls for us all to continue to seek greater protections for Aboriginal lands, waters, sacred sites and cultural heritage from exploitation, desecration, and destruction.
Liverpool has a proud First Nations heritage and history which is why NAIDOC Week holds a special place in our City's calendar.
COMMUNITY UPDATE: Due to the recent NSW Health stay-at-home order for Greater Sydney, Liverpool City Council's NAIDOC Week Miller Family Fun Day has been postponed until Wednesday, 29 September 2021.
NAIDOC Week 2021 - Miller Family Fun Day
Date: Wednesday 29 September
Time: 10am-3pm
Venue: Miller Park (56 Cabramatta Avenue, Miller - near Miller Technology High School)
Cost: Free
The Family Fun Day will feature live performances, giveaways and various workshops including arts and crafts. More to be announced.
Council, in collaboration with Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre and Liverpool City Library, has also curated a fantastic NAIDOC Week program to celebrate the richness of Liverpool's local Aboriginal community and culture which is a critical part of our City's history and future.
Liverpool City Council would like to thank the following event partners who have made this event possible.
More to come.
Kids entertainment
There will be plenty of activities on the ground to keep the kids entertained from garden games and face painting to arts and crafts workshops and a storytime from Liverpool City Library.
Plant giveaway
Each family at the NAIDOC Week Miller Family Fun Day will receive a free plant to take home - while stocks last. One plant per family.
Drop in to our Miller Family Fun Day and say 'hello' to our stallholders.
More to come.
More to come.
Where will NAIDOC Family Fun Day be held?
Our NAIDOC Family Fun Day celebration will be held at Miller Park (56 Cabramatta Avenue, Miller) on Wednesday 29 September 2021 featuring workshops, performances and local community vendors and services.
Is this a family-friendly event?
Yes, this is an entirely family-friendly event.
Is NAIDOC Family Fun Day a free entry?
This is a free event.
What date and time will the event run?
The event will commence on Wednesday 29 September 2021 at Miller Park from 10am and will finish at 3pm.
How will this event remain COVID-safe?
Yes, due to COVID-19 restrictions, the capacity at the event will be capped. Council is closely working with local authorities to ensure the event complies with COVID-19 guidelines.
Compliance with COVID-19 guidelines is mandatory for all participating vendors. Each participating vendor is registered as a COVID-safe business. Attendees at the event will be required to register via a QR code at entry of the event and with all vendors. Liverpool City Council has undertaken a COVID safe plan for this event.
What is going to be at the event?
The Family Fun Day will encompass live performances from First Nations people, giveaways and kids activities from local community organisations.
Is there parking? / How do I get there?
There will be limited parking available. We encourage attendees to walk to site or use public transport. The site is serviced from Liverpool and Parramatta Stations via the 802 and 803 routes. Bus stops are directly opposite to the event site. The T80 Transitway (Miller) is also located approximately 1km from the event site.
Parking will be available at Miller Technology High School – please follow the directions of our traffic control staff who will direct you to the parking area. This is a roughly 300m walk to the event site.
A kiss and ride area will be set up allowing for a drop of zone for parents with prams or patrons with accessibility requirements/mobility scooters.
Is there disabled access / parking at this event?
There is a kiss and ride area allocated for this event site.
Email events@liverpool.nsw.gov.au to discuss your requirements with one of the event staff.
Will I be searched upon entry?
Security bag checks will be enforced upon entry to the event. Please check our ‘prohibited items’ list below to ensure you are aware of what not to bring to the NAIDOC Week Miller Family Fun Day.
For safety reasons, Council staff, event crew and security reserve the right to check your bags upon entry and during the event and will confiscate any prohibited items such as alcohol.
Will there be food? Are there vegan / vegetarian / gluten free options?
There will be a limited selection of food vendors at this event.
Does this event have alcohol?
This event is an alcohol-free event as such any alcoholic beverages are strictly prohibited.
Can I smoke at the event?
Smoking will not be permitted at the event site.
Can I bring in Eskies / BBQs / Shade Structures?
For safety reasons, you are unable to bring your own esky / barbeque or shade structure. We encourage attendees to bring their own picnic blankets and pillows.
What items are prohibited?
Items prohibited at the NAIDOC Week Miller Family Fun Day include:
- Alcohol and illicit substances of any kind;
- Glass bottles, glassware or breakable containers;
- Drones or any other remote-controlled device;
- Bicycles, Scooters, Skateboards or skates;
- Animals (excluding service animals);
- Eskies, barbeques or shade structures;
- Weapons of any kind, including any item that can be used as a projectile;
- Knives or Scissors;
- Fireworks, sparklers or flares;
- Laser pointers;
- Cameras and recording devices for commercial use (unless approved by Council); and
- Other items deemed by security, police or event coordinators as having potential to cause injury or public nuisance.
Can I bring my pet?
Pets are permitted at this event, given they are well behaved and on a lead at all times at the event site. We are expecting many young families at this event so dogs will need to be accustomed to children.
Can I take photos / film at the event?
Photos can be taken for personal use. We encourage attendees to submit a photo at the event to Council’s Instagram using the hashtag #lovelivo.
Professional photography (including the use of tripods for safety reasons) will not be permitted without prior consent from Liverpool City Council’s Communications team.
Contact Kirsty Timsans, Liverpool City Council Communications Officer, if you have any queries – timsansk@liverpool.nsw.gov.au.
Are there ATMs on site?
ATMs will not be available at site.
I am a local resident – how will this affect me?
More details to come.
What happens if it rains?
The show must go on! If weather conditions become extreme and pose risk to attendees, performers and crew, the event may be cancelled. Notification will be provided via Council’s social media channels.
Media accreditation?
Media are requested to contact Kirsty Timsans, Liverpool City Council Communications Officer, to receive accreditation to photograph, film or run interviews at the event – timsansk@liverpool.nsw.gov.au.
Who can I contact if I have any further questions?
You can drop a line to the Events team at events@liverpool.nsw.gov.au.
COLLECTION HIGHLIGHT: NAIDOC WEEK 2021 | Friday 25 June 2021 – Wednesday 11 August 2021 | Liverpool City Library | All ages
To celebrate NAIDOC Week 2021, Liverpool City Library in partnership with Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre presents an exhibition featuring artworks by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists collected over the last 30 years through the annual Mil-Pra AECG Art Prize.
The artworks capture this year’s NAIDOC theme Heal Country! encouraging audiences to reflect on the importance of respecting, protecting, and celebrating the culture and Country of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
For more information click here.
Image credit: Terry Lockley – Campfire on the Castlereagh
KOORI KINNECTIONS | Friday 9 July | Liverpool City Library | 2pm – 3pm | 5-12 years old
Celebrate the world’s oldest continuous culture and learn about Aboriginal engineering and material use in this hands-on workshop from Indigenous educators. Build a palm-sized paperbark canoe to take home.
For more information or to book click here.
Art and Sole with Blak Douglas | Tuesday 6 July 2021 | Casula Powerhouse | 11.00am-12.30pm | 5-10 years old
In Art and Sole with Blak Douglas, children will get to create their own graphic designs of the soles of their feet.
Blak Douglas will teach key skills and techniques of graphic design in a fun and engaging environment using pop culture hip hop to introduce children to ideas of identity.
This is a free workshop but bookings are essential. For more information or to book click here.
About Blak Douglas
Blak Douglas is modern Aboriginal Artist with a celebrated career now spanning two decades.
His work is currently on display at Casula Powerhouse, as part of the LOSS exhibition.
Image credit: Blak Douglas – photo by Sally Tsoutas
FILM SCREENING: We Don’t Need A Map | Friday 9 July | Casula Powerhouse | 8pm - 9.30pm | PG
This is the story of the hijacking of an Australian icon.
The Southern Cross is the most famous constellation in the Southern Hemisphere.
Ever since colonisation it has been claimed, appropriated and hotly-contested for ownership by a radical range of Australian groups. But for Aboriginal people the meaning of this heavenly body is deeply spiritual – and just about completely unknown. For a start, the Southern Cross isn’t even a cross – it is a totem deeply woven into the spiritual and practical lives of Aboriginal people.
Now one of Australia’s leading film-makers, Warwick Thornton, tackles this fiery subject head on in a bold and poetic essay-film. ‘We Don’t Need a Map’ challenges us to consider the place of the Southern Cross in the Australian psyche. Imbued with Warwick’s cavalier spirit, this is a fun and thought-provoking ride through Australia’s cultural and political landscape.
For more information or to book click here.
Image credit: Warwick Thornton & Captain Cook Bush Toy - Still from 'We don't need a map'
NAIDOC Voices has become an integral part of Council’s NAIDOC Week celebrations in recent years. This year's video explores the meaning of the NAIDOC Week 2021 theme, Heal Country!, through the eyes of the members of Liverpool’s First Nations Community.
This video was created in collaboration with our local Aboriginal Land Councils Gandangara and Tharawal, Council's heritage officer and the Liverpool Regional Museum. We would like to thank video production company CuriousWorks and our interviewees Darrell and Judy Fabar, Dennis and Ann Smith and Lexie Carroll.
Our objective is for the NAIDOC Voices video series to encourage healing through understanding and conversation. You can watch last year's NAIDOC Voices video here.