For information regarding individual events
please contact relevant event organisers.
If you require a hard copy of the brochure,
please phone 9970 1181.
Welcome
Welcome Message from the Chair
Hello and welcome to the 13th annual
Guringai Festival – celebrating Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander culture in the
Northern Sydney region.
This year's festival theme, Live Life Loudly
is a slight departure from the 'focus' or 'lens'
that we tend to view the festival through.
Live Life Loudly aims to remind us that
laughter is food for the soul and to live your
life as fully as you can. Living day to day
with all its ups and downs and light and
shade, sometimes we need to just stop
and remember to laugh. Humour has the
ability to break down barriers and it can
smuggle ideas and different perspectives
into people's hearts and minds.
Through humour we often create situations
that are memorable and have the capacity
to resonate and reverberate within us long
after the event. Laughter also can be the
shortest distance between two people
and can bridge the great divide, uniting
families, communities and a nation.
We invite you to join us this year for all the
fabulour events and activities of the 13th
annual Guringai Festival. You might be
inspired, you might lear something new
or even be touched on an emotional level,
we also invite you to laugh!
Susan Moylan-Coombs and
Caroline Glass-Pattison
Co-Chairs, Guringai Festival Committee
About Guringai Festival
Acknowledgment of Country
About Guringai Festival
The festival involves 11 councils and numerous reconciliation and community groups. Events include workshops, art exhibitions, performances, films and talks.
Front Cover Image
The warm light of the langscape, is complemented by the black spaces below that mimic the darkness of the night before but also symbolise
the moments that become the catalyst for change.
Song of Daybreak, sings up a visual message of resilience and hope. A visual representation of both sides of the story and a reminder that in order to move forwad you
must first look back.
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land, the Guringai peoples on whose land we now stand, we pay our respects to Elders past and present.
Founded in 2001, the Guringai Festival aims to raise awareness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in the Northern Sydney region. The festival usually starts on Sorry Day 26 May and goes through to the end of NAIDOC Week, the second week in July each year.
This years cover artwork is by Jessica Birk (see bio on back page).
Jessica explains this piece and her inspiration below.
As the light of day begins to soak the landscape beyond, we focus on three kookaburras perched on the twisting branch of a flowering gum.
Their 'laughter' and energy translate to a song of optimism and hope, heralding the new day.
Important Dates and Anniversaries
Nadioc Week - We value the vision: Yirrkala Bark Petitions 1963Sunday 7 - Sunday 14 July 2013
www.naidoc.org.au
NAIDOC celebrations are held around Australia to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
The week is celebrated not just in the Indigenous community, but also increasingly in government agencies, schools, local councils and workplaces.
Whereever you live, taking part in NAIDOC Week is a great way to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to build bridges between all Australians.
Reconciliation Week: Lets Talk Recognition
Monday 27 May - Monday 3 June 2013
www.nswreconciliation.org.au
National Reconciliation Week offers people across Australia the opportunity to focus on reconciliation, to hear about the cultures and histories of Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and to explore new and better ways of meeting challenges in our communities. The Week is timed to coincide with two significant dates in Australia's history, which provide strong symbols of our hopes and aims for reconciliation.
Sorry Day
Sunday 26 May 2013
www.nsdc.org.au
National Sorry Day is an Australia-wide observance held on May 26 each year. This day gives people the chance to come together and share the steps towards healing for the Stolen Generations, their families and communities. Stolen generations refer to Indigenous Australians who were forcibly removed from their families and communities.