THE Swan Hill NAIDOC Committee hosted its annual elders’ lunch on Thursday last week.
Plenty of community elders were present at the Racecourse Bowls Club to celebrate and reflect on the week over bingo and a meal.
Community elder Uncle Rob Johnson said it’s not often that you get a room full of elders.
“It happens about once or twice a year but I think it should happen more,” he said.
“Looking in this room, there’s elders that have stories from over 200 years ago, so there’s 200 years of individual experience here. And they have all watched the community grow and change.”
Uncle Rob has lived in Swan Hill since the 1960s and said the town has come a long way when it comes to celebrating Aboriginal culture.
“A long time ago it wasn’t like this. You’d go into a bar and there was a section for Aboriginal people and a section for whites, but now this community is pretty multicultural,” he said.
Uncle Rob said he hopes that First Nations people are able to have better opportunities for employment and social standing than previous generations.
“We just hope that our children grow up in a better world, with greater opportunities that Aboriginal communities in the past have,” he said.
Wamba Wamba elder Aunty Stephanie Charles was born and raised in Swan Hill, and has had decades long involvements in the community as the chair of a Local Aboriginal Education Consultative Group and Koori Court.
She said the elders’ lunch is always a good time to catch up.
“It’s great to catch up with the other elders because you don’t see them everyday,” Aunty Charles said.
Aunty Stephanie said she hopes the younger generation of First Nations peoples in Swan Hill will be able to lead and be more involved in their community.
“My involvement and sharing of knowledge and meeting the wider community has been to make sure that we are putting ourselves out there and being recognised,” she said.
“Everyone is willing to come together on certain issues and It’s really helping in breaking down those barriers.
“We are slowly getting the Wamba Wamba Aboriginal Corporation up and running, and with that I’m seeing how important it is for our youth and young men in the community to start stepping up in the community.”
