The Oorala Aboriginal Centre hosts events during the year for students and the community including seminars, workshops, morning teas and celebrations.
| Date | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Get Involved - Student Activities | Oorala | |
'Your Place Our Country' Photography Competition UNE students study in environments all across Australia. We invite you to discover the First Nations' Country on which you study and share your story with us. This year the focus is on local icons - places, objects or people | online | |
| Mon 16 - Wed 18 June 2025 | Oorala Yinga Kara Orientation Program Yinga Kara, an Anaiwan word for ‘my path’ is all about getting you ready to start your studies at UNE. Come along and find out what Oorala has to offer. Over three days commencing students meet other students, your academic coordinators, organise your student cards, work through any enrollment issues, experience college life accommodation and create new friendships with other students on the same study journey as you. | Oorala & UNE Campus |
| Mon 7 July | UNE NAIDOC Acknowledgement Ceremony Join with us to celebrate and watch the raising of the Aboriginal flag above Booloominbah and hear from the UNE Vice-Chancellor and CEO, Professor Chris Moran, a leading community member and a UNE student representative. Then stay on for a warm lunch at the Oorala Centre | Booloominbah Lawns |
| Wed 9 July | NAIDOC Cultural Day We're excited to invite you to a special celebration of Indigenous culture and community at our NAIDOC Cultural Day! Bring your friends and family for a fun and enriching experience. Wednesday 9 July , 10am – 2pm | Oorala Aboriginal Centre |
| Wed 23 July | Your Place Our Country Photographic Exhibition An opening and exhibition of the winning photographs will be on show at the Dixson Libray. | Dixson Linbrary & online |
| Oct 24/25 2025 | Spring Graduation & Sashing Ceremonies Oorala holds a Sashing Ceremony on each Graduation Day. The Ceremony acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students’ academic achievements alongside their families and is held in the Oorala Lecture Theatre. | Oorala & UNE Campus |
| Thurs 27 Nov | The Oorala Awards acknowledges the excellence of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, and the University of New England staff that support them. | Armidale Bowling Club |
| 3 -6 Nov | Designed for senior Indigenous high school students, the Program offers an on-campus glimpse into university life. | Oorala & UNE Campus |
| Sun 7 June 2025 | Myall Creek Memorial Day Ceremony | Myall Creek |
NAIDOC Week 2021
Twenty Years of Raising the Flag
For nearly 3 decades, in the depths of winter, we have seen crowds gather on the lawns of Booloominbah to celebrate NAIDOC week by the Raising of the Aboriginal Flag. We have proudly listened to our Indigenous students and staff, members of the local Aboriginal Community alongside a number of UNE Vice Chancellors share their thoughts on each years’ theme. We hope you enjoy the retrospective glimpse of the last twenty years in this short video.
View our historical video referencing NAIDOC Days at UNE over the years.
Sorry Day at UNE 2022
A Sorry Tree was hosted at the Dixson Library on the Armdiale campus in respect of the significance of this day. The crowd gathered to hear Pro-Vice Chancellor Indigenous Strategy, Prof Joe Fraser and Deputy Vice Chancellor, Prof Simon Evans ackowledge this on behalf of the University of New England before adding their message to the Tree.
Stories in the Media
12 December 2021 - At UNE, Sarah Thomas's ambitions were supported by the community of people she met. “Living on campus, I was able to make new friends and, particularly through the Oorala Centre, I developed an important support group, academically and socially,” she says. “We were all first in our family to attend university and most of us were from out west. We still regularly catch up.”
A Passion for Learning7 Dec 2021 - Pauline Syron-Coxon, a Worimi-Biripi descendant, and successful Indigenous artist, is studying a degree in criminology online through the University of New England (UNE). TRACKS, Oorala's tertiary preparation course, proved to be the perfect transitionary step for Pauline, who reflects that “it was the best thing I ever did.” Pauline Coxon
Making TRACKS through covidOorala Community Partners
Are you interested in becoming an Oorala community partner?
Here at Oorala we aim to engage and connect with members of the local Aboriginal community on a number of our programs, events and projects. To support this, we have established the Oorala Community Partners register. If you have a skill or experience that you would like to share with future and current students of UNE, please complete our Oorala Community Partners online expression of interest form.
Join our community
Oorala holds a number of community engagement events throughout the year. If you, or your organisation, would like to be included on our invitation lists for upcoming events please contact us.
