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• 1566 Vol. 37 No. 2 SINGLE COPY — $3.00 (includes GST) SUBSCRIPTIONS — $270 pa (print) $150 pa (digital)
THURSDAY, 13TH JULY 2023 COONABARABRAN – THE ASTRONOMY CAPITAL OF AUSTRALIA
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NAIDOC Week: what a ball! This year’s massive lineup of NAIDOC Week celebrations in Coonabarabran has been hailed the best ever, with the community coming together ‘for our Elders.’ by JIMMY WHALAN Coonabarabran’s inaugural NAIDOC Ball was the culmination of this yea r’s event of fer ings, attracting people across the state for the gala evening and award presentation on Saturday, 8 July. A f te r m o nt h s o f p l a n n i n g , Coonabarabran Local Aboriginal La n d Co u n c i l (C L A LC) C E O, Brandon Nixon said the hard work paid off with an incredible night a testament to the hard workers behind-the-scenes. “A real highlight was the Elders walk – walking the red carpet and seeing all our loved ones certainly brought tears to the eyes,” Mr Nixon said. “The Coonaba rab ran Tow n Hall looked incredible and could not have been achieved without the hel p of the CL ALC Event Co m m it te e, Pa r i s a n d J i l l i a n Norton, the Dowd family, Emma M c D o n a l d, J a y f ro m F a t l i n e Productions, Pilliga Pottery, and Coonabarabran High School.” O n t h e n i g ht, g u e s t s we re welcomed by MC, Brian Dowd, followed by Paris Norton, who
shared a moving story about her dreams filled with memories from childhood and everyone coming together. Dubbo musician Isaac Compton then took to the mic, sharing the story of his love for his mother and his family and how that helped him reach “The Summit” on national television, w i nni ng a p r i ze of $250,000 – but we were told not to ask for a loan! Following dinner prepared by Yaama Cafe, the 2023 NAIDOC Awards were presented. Mr Nixon said there were tears and smiles throughout the room, reflecting just how deserving the recipients were. “The last awards presented were our Aboriginal People of the Year, our Elders,” he said. “T h ey we re re co g n i sed fo r ever ything that they do, from looking after us to putting us in our place, from cooking a feed for us to sharing stories, being our activists to our knowledge holders, but most of all – for being our loved ones.” CONTINUED PAGE 6
NAIDO C WEEK COVER AGE
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Dubbo musician and recent winner of “The Summit”, Isaac Compton, was a highlight of the NAIDOC Ball, held in Coonabarabran last Saturday.
1 - Coonabarabran Times, Thursday, 13th July 2023