17/06/2022
Koori community Gets Up! Stands Up! Shows Up! for NAIDOC
Call for nominations for Mildura awards
The current and future leaders of Mildura’s Koori community will be recognised and celebrated across a myriad of different categories during the 2022 NAIDOC Awards to be held next month, with nominations now open and the community encouraged to put their suggestions in the running.
From up-and-coming leaders of tomorrow in the Youth Award category, selfless contributors to the community in the Volunteer category, or recognising a commitment to making positive change in the Lifetime Achievement and Honour Roll Induction, the call is out for organisations and individuals to nominate those who are making a difference in the community.
Mallee District Aboriginal Services (MDAS) Aboriginal Community Engagement Coordinator and chair of the NAIDOC organising committee Pam McCormack said now is the time to submit nominations for the prestigious awards.
“It’s a really exciting time in our Community and there are a lot of people whose contributions go unnoticed,” Ms McCormack said.
“It’s very easy to nominate someone – anyone can do it, and any Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person or organisation working with the Koori community can be nominated,” she said.
“It’s the perfect opportunity to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the people who are out there working for our Community – we want to recognise them and celebrate them.”
Award winners will be announced at the 2022 NAIDOC Ball on Saturday 9 July in the categories of:
• Lifetime achievement and Honor Roll induction (For an individual who has dedicated their life to making a positive change in the community)
• 2022 Aunty Bev Peter Award for Community Excellence (In honor of the late Aunty Bev Peter, the winner might be a local artist, a great project, a sports person or someone who’s achieved in education and training. It might be the quiet achievers, the foster parents and cares or volunteers)
• Youth Award (Open to young people aged 18-26)
• Sports Award (An individual or team)
• Volunteer Award (Individuals or groups)
• Partnership / Organisation Recognition Award (For individuals, groups or organisations who create partnerships for better community programs, events and functions)
• Trainee / Apprentice Award
Nominations close on Friday 24 June at 5pm and can be made via the form on the MDAS website, in person at 120 Madden Avenue, Mildura, or by emailing naidocawards@mdas.org.au.
The 2022 NAIDOC Ball is just one of the exciting events on the NAIDOC Calendar in Mildura, with Ms McCormack encouraging community members to also get involved in the celebrations on Monday 4 July.
“We have a flag raising and smoking ceremony planned at 10am, followed by a march from the MDAS health services carpark down to Nowingi Place,” she said.
“There, from 11:30am to 3pm, you’ll find dancing, stalls, a jumping castle, face painting and more.
“Transport is available for those who may need it, because we want to make it as easy as possible for everyone to get down to Nowingi and celebrate with us!”
If you need assistance with transport, contact Pam on 0436 814 093 during business hours.