The Parkes NAIDOC Family Fun Day Organising Committee are saving the date for their 2026 event.

The Committee looks forward to welcoming community members to celebrate NAIDOC Day with them on Saturday, 19 September 2026.

A significant part of this day is the Parkes NAIDOC Awards. These Awards are based on the framework set by the National NAIDOC Committee, who make the key decisions regarding setting dates and theme for each year. Obviously, there are a few modifications to the outlines for each award to keep them relevant to our community.

Nominations for these awards are open to the public and the Committee encourages entries from individuals, schools and clubs, nominating someone who has stood out in the following areas: Primary Youth; Secondary Youth; Non-Indigenous; Sportsperson; Creative Talent; Caring for Country & Culture; Education Award; Innovation; and we are fortunate to have a separate award, supported by the Sloane family, the Annette Sloane Memorial Indigenous Youth of the Year.

Keep an eye on our social media next year or subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date with the process.

A group of judges are chosen by the Committee to assess the applications.

Note that if a person has won an award in a particular category, in the previous year, they are not eligible to be nominated in the following year.

For anyone who has been curious about this event and thought about contributing as part of the Committee, we would love you to join us.

Our next meeting will be held on Thursday, 26 March 2026 at 4pm at the Central West Lachlan Landcare (CWLL) Office at Kelly Reserve. Just contact me to find out more information.

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 the 2025 event together.

We were fortunate to receive funding from Evolution Northparkes Operations and Aboriginal Affairs NSW for the 2025 event and CWLL will be seeking support on behalf of the Committee for the 2026 event, both financial and in-kind, so if you or your organisation would be interested in being involved, please make contact.

We are grateful for so much community support for this event and look forward to planning another fantastic event in 2026.

For further information on this article, please go to www.centralwestlachlanlandcare.org, twitter, facebook or Instagram @cwllandcare