On Friday Souths Cares hosted a huge community event at Heffron Park in Maroubra to celebrate NAIDOC and the end of a successful 2022.
The NAIDOC Festival was originally scheduled for earlier this year however had to be postponed due to wet weather and ground closures which impacted the July school holidays.
With COVID impacting the 2020 and 2021 NAIDOC Festivals, returning to Heffron Park to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, histories and achievements was a great way to cap off 2022 for Souths Cares.
The event commenced with a beautiful Welcome to Country from Aunty Yvonne Simms, which was followed by a Smoking Ceremony from Uncle Dean Kelly and a speech from South Sydney Rabbitohs CEO Blake Solly.
Uncle Dean stated the event provided a great opportunity to celebrate Aboriginal culture and connect with the community.
“Souths Cares events are about bringing together the grassroots community to celebrate different parts of Aboriginal culture and heritage.
I enjoy coming to these events to talk to the community and relax. They are a joyous occasion for me and I hope they continue for many years to come”, Uncle Dean said.
There was an abundance of talented performers throughout the afternoon who entertained the crowd including Brolga Dance Academy, Warada Dancers, The Glen Dance Group and Millie Mills.
This year’s event proved to be the biggest NAIDOC celebration to date, with a host of activities for children and families including amusement rides and a kids zone, art workshops, weaving workshops, shell painting, Aboriginal artefacts, airbrush tattoos and BBQ catering.
Souths Cares’ NAIDOC Festivals are always well supported by the Rabbitohs playing squad, with the local community enjoying the opportunity to share culture and catch up with the players during the pre-season.
Alisha Parker-Elrez, Souths Cares CEO stated it was great to finally have the opportunity to host the event and come together as a community.
“After having to re-schedule the event multiple times during NAIDOC week earlier this year, it was great to be able to come together and celebrate Aboriginal culture and another successful year for Souths Cares.
A big thankyou to everyone that came together to celebrate with us and we look forward to doing it all again in 2023”, Alisha said.
