Editor's Note: The Greene Street NAIDOC Family Fun Day has been cancelled due to wet weather. Visit naidoc.org.au/local-events/local-naidoc-week-events to see what else is on.
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Cancelled for the past two years because of COVID, the Greene Street Warrawong NAIDOC Family Fun Day will be "huge" this year.
Kristy Thomas, admin manager at Coomaditchie Aboriginal Corporation, who is organising the event, said that this year there was additional energy going into the celebration.
"After two years of lockdown everyone is very enthusiastic about it," she said.
The annual Greene Street event has been running since 2013 and has continued to grow from a small, local event to one that brings together the Illawarra community, Indigenous and non-Indigenous.
Ms Thomas said the event now has over 40 stallholders and is expected to draw hundreds to attend.
"It brings all cultures together to showcase Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander talent," she said.
Kicking off at 10am on Tuesday with a welcome to country, smoking ceremony and didgeridoo performance, from 10.20 onwards there are free activities for kids and young people, designed to enable the community to get to know each other and understand more about local Aborignal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Ms Thomas said the event was also an important moment for the Illawarra Aboriginal community to reconnect after two years of separation.
"People's mental health was really impacted by COVID-19 and all the unknowns. So getting out and coming together is another way for people to come together as one community."
The theme for NAIDOC week this year is Get Up, Stand Up, Show Up. For Ms Thomas, this refocused efforts on fighting for equality and being present for each other.
If rain continues, the event will be held at the Warrawong Community Centre.
In addition to the Greene Street festivities, Coomaditchie is hosting a Indigenous art show that highlights the 2022 NAIDOC theme.
Works depict the coastal environment of the Illawarra as well as community and family. The exhibition includes four generations of artists as well as art students and children's art. Ms Thomas said the exhibition, which runs for a week, focuses on efforts to keep culture alive.
In addition to events organised by Coomaditchie, a number of Illawarra organisations are recognising NAIDOC week.
Shellharbour City Council is hosting a NAIDOC Community Day at Shellharbour Civic Centre on Monday, July 4.
The free event will feature music and dance, a free sausage sizzle, cultural experiences, Koori games, craft workshops, art exhibitions and more.
Mayor Chris Homer said that the event was an important date on the city's cultural calendar.
"Council's NAIDOC Community Day is an opportunity for celebration, but also a time for reflection," he said.
"I am looking forward to seeing our local Aboriginal artists perform, celebrate and share their culture and skills with Shellharbour."
Gumaraa, an Aboriginal cultural experience and education company, will also be part of the day and is delivering workshops at Wollongong City Council libraries throughout the week.
To find out more about what's on this NAIDOC week visit naidoc.org.au/local-events/local-naidoc-week-events
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