LOOKING AT LANDCARE By CENTRAL WEST LACHLAN LANDCARE, MARG APPLEBEE Thank you to those who joined us at the 2025 NAIDOC Family Fun Day at Bushman’s Hill on Saturday. The day kicked off at 10am with a fabulous performance from Spicy Mercury, who brought everyone into the park and set the vibe for the event at the Wiradjuri Amphitheatre. Student representatives from Parkes East Public School, Oscar Gosper and Piper Moore assisted Charlie Oraha with the Welcome and Smoking Ceremony. Rose Jones provided support with Auslan. This was followed by our Parkes NAIDOC Awards, with MC Doug Pout, presented by Philip Donato MP and Mayor Neil Westcott to the following people: Primary Youth Award: Lori-Jayde Gee Secondary Youth Award: Jamieson Hodge Non-Indigenous Award: Sharon Scott Sportsperson Award: Taj Lovett Creative Talent Award: Katlyn Turnbull Caring for Country and Culture: Parkes Aboriginal Community Working Party (PACWP) Education Award: Tyler Roberts Innovation Award: Wayne Bloomfield Annette Sloane Memorial Indigenous Youth of the Year: Lori-Jayde Gee Finally, congratulations to Kim Oliver, who was presented the Elder Award. We thank her for her contributions to the promotion and encouragement of indigenous culture in our community. Awards are based on the National NAIDOC Awards, with the addition of our local Award in memory of Annette Sloane. The crowd enjoyed free sausage sizzle, cooked by beon energy and Parkes Rural Fire Service (RFS). The day was topped off with beautiful NAIDOC cupcakes, made by Johnson's Bakery. Thank you to the Parkes High School Guwal Dance Group for their beautiful performance, which was followed by talented musician Shane Riley. This type of celebration is not possible without the support of Northparkes Evolution Mine as the major sponsor for the event. We are also fortunate to have received funding through Aboriginal Affairs NSW. Central West Lachlan Landcare (CWLL) were thrilled to be working with representatives from the Parkes Wiradjuri community to deliver the 2025 Parkes NAIDOC Celebration. I would again like to take this opportunity to thank the members of the Parkes NAIDOC Family Fun Day organising committee who have contributed consistently to our meetings and contributed ideas to bring this event together. Also a big shout out to our stallholders and contributors on the day. You helped to share resources and information and provide fun activities for visitors. Thank you for contributing to this community event and sharing NAIDOC celebrations with us. For further information on this article, please go to www.centralwestlachlanlandcare.org, twitter, facebook or Instagram @cwllandcare
