Reflections from Parbery’s NAIDOC Community Event
It was one of those classic Canberra spring mornings, bright, windy, and unpredictable. As a member of Parbery’s Reconciliation Action Plan Working Group and ACT RecNet, I volunteered at the annual NAIDOC Community Event, a highlight of the community sector calendar since 2015, bringing people together to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and communities.
While NAIDOC Week is officially celebrated in July, at Parbery, we believe recognition of First Nations peoples should happen all year round. That belief, that reconciliation is something lived and not scheduled was the extra support I needed as I hobbled through Woden Town Centre in my moon boot, helping set up tables before the crowds arrived. Within an hour, calm turned to chaos. The plaza became a wind tunnel. Stalls shook, artworks scattered, and gazebos lifted into the air.
Working alongside the NAIDOC Community Event Committee, small business owners and Elders, we scrambled to save handmade jewellery, artworks, and shirts from being blown away. I’ll never forget helping Uncle William Walker secure his gazebo, holding down the frame with a few others as the wind howled through. It was messy, funny, and unexpectedly connecting, the kind of moment that captures the spirit of community. Uncle Johnney, creator of the ‘Wombat Wobble’ joked to “let the wind blow, it’s the Ancestors showing us they’re here”.
When the weather eased, the celebrations kicked off: a Welcome to Country, Smoking Ceremony, and incredible performances from First Nations artists across the country.
It was great to see several of our Parbery colleagues take time to attend, listen, and reflect. One conversation with Rob stuck with me. As we listened to the music, he spoke about how, growing up, learning about First Nations history was banned at school. His honesty and his commitment to learning reinforced the importance of intergenerational truth-telling.
What I loved about volunteering at the NAIDOC Community Event, is the reminder that reconciliation isn’t a week or a project, it’s an active practice. Reconciliation lives in how we show up, how we listen, and how we keep learning, together.
As Parbery continues to actively progress our reconciliation journey under our Reconciliation Action Plan, we will focus on building strong foundations, foster relationships based on mutual respect with First Nations leaders, organisations and communities, and support our staff with their individual journeys.
