Celebrating NAIDOC Week on the Western Downs

NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Australians to learn about the First Nations cultures and histories. Celebrated from 3-10 July 2022 by people from all walks of life, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, it is a great opportunity to participate in a range of activities and support and amplify the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. This year’s theme – Get up! Stand up! Show up! – encourages all of us to champion institutional, structural, collaborative, and cooperative change, while celebrating those who have already driven and led change in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities over generations. Source.

Storytimes

Participate in one of the special NAIDOC Week Storytimes happening at a Library near you. Bookings are essential; please click here to register.

Story Box Library

Story Box Library features engaging online stories aimed at Australian primary school aged children. These stories are read by actors, music stars, television personalities and authors themselves.

Search by theme for ‘NAIDOC’ or ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures’, or by series for ‘First Nations stories’ to find a large range of picture books. Titles include Welcome to Country by Aunty Joy Murphy and Lisa Kennedy. Fair skin black fella by Renee Fogarty. When we say black lives matter by Maxine Beneba Clarke. Heroes, rebels and innovators: inspiring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from history by Karen Wyld. Make sure to check out the fun Activity Time ideas and instructions that are also available for many of the stories.

BorrowBox

BorrowBox is an easy to use platform that allows you to select and download eBooks and eAudiobooks to your computer or any mobile device.

Search for ‘Indigenous’ to find a range of books and audios written by or about Aboriginal Australians. Including Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe, Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray by Anita Heiss and A man called Yarra by Robert Hillman and Stan Yarramunua

Prefer to read an actual book? Browse our shelves or reserve one of these top picks:

Little Ash perfect match! by Ash Barty

Australian tennis superstar Ash Barty teams up with Jasmin McGaughey and Jade Goodwin to bring young readers this fun and exciting new series about school, sport, friendship and family.

Open your heart to Country: Walamami budbud mgurragu by Jasmine Seymour

With exquisite illustrations and soft, lilting text, Open your heart to Country appeals to the very young, while sharing a deeper message for older readers. A book the whole family can enjoy.

Sixty-seven days by Yvonne Weldon

Evie has been raised in the heart of Aboriginal Redfern, by a proud trailblazing Wiradjuri family. She remembers so much about the previous world – the Dreamtime, the ancestors, and the knowing – but she also harbours a dark pain that is becoming almost too much to bear. And then Evie meets James.

Making Australian History by Anna Clark

You will think about this country differently after reading this book. Each piece of history has a message and context that depends on who wrote it and when. Australian history has swirled and contorted over the years: the history wars have embroiled historians, politicians and public commentators alike, while debates over historical fiction have been as divisive. Making Australian History is bold and inclusive. It catalogues and contextualizes changing reading of the past. It examines the increasingly problematic role of historians as national storytellers. And it incorporated the stories of people.

The dreaming path: indigenous thinking to change your life by Paul Callaghan

Tired of going around in circles? The Dreaming Path has always been there, but in the modern-day world, it can be hard to find. There are so many demands on us – family, health, bills, a mortgage, a career. It can be hard to remember what’s most important: you. It’s time to reconnect with your story. Conversations, exercises, Dreamtime stories and key messages from Paul Callaghan and Uncle Paul Gordon. Sit around the fire and share knowledge that reveals the power of Aboriginal spirituality as a profound source of contentment and wellbeing for anyone willing to listen. This wisdom is just as relevant today as it ever was.

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