Dear Resident,

Get up, stand up, show up!
A strong message and the theme of this year’s NAIDOC Week.
It is a theme that challenges us all to champion institutional, structural, collaborative and cooperative change. It’s also an opportunity to celebrate those who have already driven and led change in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities.
Few residents would know of our earliest resistance fighters way back in 1809. Brave Aboriginal warriors, Pamulwuy and Tedbury, led the local resistance to white settlement, and a reward was placed on their heads for capture or death.
Their legacy now commemorated on a heritage panel at Punchbowl and in the design of the Indigenous Mosaic in Gough Whitlam Park at Undercliff.
And in 1933, Joe Anderson (also known as King Burraga) was filmed near Bankstown’s Salt Pan Creek, declaring a petition to the King of England and calling for equal rights for Indigenous Australians.
I can happily say that we have come a long way, with Canterbury-Bankstown now a City that acknowledges the original inhabitants of the land and makes every effort to work closely with
this community.
The recent dual naming of our Wards is one example of just that. Together with our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Reference Group and then by resident vote, our five Wards have been co-named with an Indigenous term.
A simple gesture, but with a big impact in the way we value the traditions, customs and stories
of our Indigenous heritage.
NAIDOC Week (3-10 July) is a chance to celebrate these achievements and reflect upon what more we can do. That’s why we’re hosting a range of activities across our City to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of our First Nations peoples. I encourage you all to join us this Friday at our NAIDOC Week film screening and barbeque at Bankstown Arts Centre. For more details, visit cb.city/NAIDOC
Yours sincerely,
Clr Khal Asfour
MAYOR