Brought to us by Uncle David ‘Tarnda’ Copley in the Riverland who explains that Nunga is a general term many Aboriginal people use to identify they come from South Australia. Each state or territory has its own overarching name which is used by Aboriginal people but not when referring to clan groups.
NAIDOC was celebrated with a full week of activities and events in the Riverland last week and the theme this year being “For our Elders”. It was also the first time Flinders has been involved in Riverland NAIDOC since 2018 and the community were very welcoming. Prior to the week, David felt privileged to be invited to join the 2023 NAIDOC committee.
The events began on Sunday July 2nd with a well-attended church service in Loxton, followed by a week full of events. These included a BBQ breakfast, the official march through Loxton and flag raising ceremony (well attended with approximately 300 people, apparently the largest number for a few years). The NAIDOC Awards Ceremony and cake cutting (Flinders provided a beautifully decorated cake) was held in Berri.
David attended events during the remainder of the week which included a fishing competition ably won by a 10-year-old angler with the biggest catch, a family fun day and on Thursday, a special day, with an invitation only lunch for forty Elders from across the region who all enjoyed the great food, company and traditional dancing.
Friday, a cultural arts and craft day in Renmark (for parents and children, fruit platters were provided by Flinders) was followed by a children’s disco (like the old blue light discos) that evening and a cricket match in Murray Bridge on Saturday.
The cricket match is an annual NAIDOC event between the Gerard CC and the Ngarrindjeri Swans CC who play for naming rights on the Abdulla-Rankine NAIDOC Shield. Gerard will host next year in the Riverland.
Riverland NAIDOC week ended at Gerard Community with a BBQ breakfast, smoking ceremony, a Church Service and the Long Riders MC Club from Adelaide travelled up to help with this event.
It was a very successful week and Uncle David looks forward to sharing more great Nunga Yarning from across South Australia soon.