Always Was, Always Will Be
Tuesday 10 November 2020
Ceremony at 10am
Booloominbah Lawns, UNE Campus
This year the Naitonal NAIDOC Committee decided to hold the week in November 2020.
The University of New England acknowledged NAIDOC week with a flag raising and smoking ceremony on the lawns of Booloominbah..
Master of Ceremonies and Student Engagement Officer at Oorala Aboriginal Centre, Bruce Dennison introduced this year’s theme Always Was, Always Will Be and called for a minute’s silence in memory of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people that have passed.
UNE’s Elder in Residence, Colin Ahoy, performed the Welcome to Country.
CEO & Vice-Chancellor Professor Brigid Heywood spoke of Indigenous history and 75,000 years of environmental guardianship, of citizenship being valued, of family being at the heart of all and of friendship being the narrative.
Guest speaker Donna Moodie, a Lecturer in Contextual Studies in the School of Education, also referenced the theme of Always Was, Always Will Be throughout her speech saying “Indigenous People have never ceded responsibility and custodianship for Country and we will keep taking responsibility for caring, crying, singing, learning, acting, speaking and thinking of 
Country, on or off Country.”
Student guest speaker UNE Archaeology student Colin Ahoy Junior also spoke about witnessing the destruction of culture and working together to ensure a future for all. Colin Junior is a former TRACKS student, who successfully completed his preparatory course with Oorala Aboriginal Centre before enrolling in Archaeology at UNE.
Proceedings wrapped up with performances by the Gogan Dancers.
images - top: NAIDOC Speeches; bottom: Gogan Dancers with speakers Colin Ahoy Jr, Donna Moodie & Uncle Colin Ahoy
Read what the speakers had to say
