NAIDOC Week: Pingelly gathers to honour elders and open park with dance and fire

Pingelly came together as one on July 6 to officially open the town’s new pocket park with a celebration of culture honouring Pingelly’s elders. Following the welcome to country and smoking ceremony, Aunty Liz Hayden took to the stage at dusk to welcome the community in Noongar. “I’m so pleased to be here in my heart, my eyes are looking at you and I’m very, very happy to see you all looking at me wondering what is this woman talking about,” she said. “That’s our Noongar language, it’s a beautiful language and we really have to fight to keep our language — don’t let it disappear.” Rain mingled with smoke as Corey Winmar played the didgeridoo and children dancers emerged from the Pingelly RSL Hall to perform dances representing the kangaroo, emu, honey bee, and celebration. “NAIDOC Week holds a profound significance in our nation’s calendar because it provides an opportunity for all Australians to honour and recognise the rich history, culture and achievements of our First Nations peoples,” Shire of Pingelly president William Mulroney said at the close of the event. “As we gather in this park, we acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land, paying our respect to Elders past, present and emerging. “We commit ourselves to the ongoing journey of reconciliation and cultural understanding in this space that has been designed to foster a sense of community, where people of all walks of life can come together to yarn and create new memories.”