A busy program of activities is being planned next week (6-13 July) for NAIDOC Week celebrations by Kempsey Shire’s NAIDOC week planning committee. The week will include everything from the traditional flag-raising and street march to disco’s, line dancing, barbecues, a golf event, an art exhibition, screen printing and more.

The Kempsey & District Chamber of Commerce, in conjunction with the NAIDOC committee, will seek the support of local businesses for the NAIDOC Week celebrations by encouraging them to hang posters in their shop windows for the week.

Many local schools have already held celebrations to honour Indigenous culture prior to the commencement of school holidays at the end of this week.

Events on the NAIDOC Week 2008 calendar include:

Sunday (6 July 2008) features an open air Mass service at 10am in Riverside Park with Fr Paul and Pastor Claude Roberts followed by tea and damper and a Welcome to NAIDOC week by the Elders.

On Monday (7 July) the flag-raising ceremony will take place at the Kempsey Shire Council Civic Centre at 9.30am. Due to road works in Elbow Street, the annual street march will commence at 10am from the Ambulance station in Belgrave Street. Between 11am and 3pm Durri will host a BBQ and activities at Services Club Park. Some of the activities will include: screen printing by West Kempsey Community House (people are asked to bring their own t-shirt to be printed on); for the 0-6yrs there will be the baby gym equipment; there will be a disco in the park and a Hiphop dance display and the opportunity for kids to learn some Hiphop moves; and the Booroongen Line dancers will perform.

Arthur Beetson will be special guest on Tuesday (8 July) at the Greenhill Community Centre barbecue.

Wednesday (9 July) features the annual information stall day in the Kempsey Mall from 9.30am until 2.30pm. Any and all organisations with information to share are welcome to bring a table and chairs to set up a stall. In the evening youth disco’s will be run at the PCYC in Bloomfield Street South Kempsey. A disco will be run for the Under 12’s from 4-6pm followed by a barbecue from 6-7pm. The Under 16’s will have a barbecue first (from 5-6pm) and then disco from 7-9pm. Community Transport buses will operate to pick up and drop off

A 2 person ambrose golf event is planned for Friday (11 July) at Kempsey Golf Club with great prizes on offer for participants. Those wanting to play in this event should contact Kempsey Golf Club or Darren Holten.

The NAIDOC Week Art Exhibition, featuring work by local indigenous artists opens at the Macleay Valley Community Gallery in Gladstone on Thursday 3 July at 5.30pm and runs until Sunday 11 July. The Gallery is open 10.30am-4pm each Thursday to Sunday.

The national theme for NAIDOC Week 2008, ‘Advance Australia Fair?’, is designed to encourage all Australians to reflect upon the Australian principle of a fair go and to think openly about the disadvantage still experienced by many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples around the nation.