NAIDOC Week is always a special time in Lake Macquarie.
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Our City has a significant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population and they have a strong sense of cultural identity.
I like to think that most people in our community who come from different ancestry also have an appreciation of Naidoc Week and an understanding of its importance both to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and, indeed, all Australians.
This year’s celebration was extra special because the theme, Because of Her, We Can, shone a light on the women in our Indigenous communities who have been mentors and role models.
As Mayor, it was wonderful to have the opportunity to publicly pay tribute to some of these women and see them take centre stage at our annual Naidoc Week ceremony, held at the Lake Macquarie City Council Administration Building.
Our ceremony this year was presented almost entirely by women, and hosted by our own amazing female role model, Maree Edwards, who was this year recognised with a Women in Local Government award for her invaluable work as Council’s Aboriginal Community Liaison Officer.
Many female Elders were also part of the ceremony, including Aunty Selena Archibald, Aunty Cecilia Enoch, Aunty Phyllis Darcy and Aunty Anne Pearce.
Naidoc celebrations continue into this week in Lake Macquarie with the Eastlakes Family Fun Day to be held from 10am to 3pm at the Pelican foreshore on Friday 20 July, featuring John Paul Young and the Eastlakes Got Talent quest.
A greener waste system
Thursday marks an important day in Lake Macquarie’s war against waste, with the opening of the new organics processing facility at the Awaba Waste Management Facility.
The state-of-the-art facility is the centrepiece of the Council’s new greener 3-bin waste management system, which will reduce the amount of waste going into landfill by as much as one third by facilitating the recycling of food refuse.
From July 30, residents will be able to dispose of all food scraps in the green bins, which will be collected weekly.
Food and green waste will be recycled at the new facility and transformed into high-quality compost products for reuse on parks, grounds and sporting fields.