NAIDOC Week celebrates the achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and there is so much going on around Lismore it’s being spilled over 10 days. The theme this year is ˜Unsung Heroes “ Closing the Gap by Leading Their Way’.

It all gets under way today (Thursday, July 1) at Heritage Park from 10am where there will be about 50 different stalls as well as entertainment, rides and a sausage sizzle.

On Sunday, July 4 the Lismore Regional Gallery will be open from 10am to 4pm so you can see the NPWS Aboriginal Art Award and works by Indigenous artist Judy Watson. You can also enjoy the special NAIDOC Week Cushion CONcert featuring Monkey & The Fish, Kaliba, Stipsky, and Dale Caldwell and his band Occa Rock at the Northern Rivers Conservatorium from 11am.

On Monday, July 5 SCU’s Indigenous Events Coordinating Committee launches the CitizenBelongingCountry art exhibition at the SCU library at 5.30pm. The exhibition will feature paintings from Indigenous Aranda artists from Hermannsburg in the MacDonnell Ranges region of the Northern Territory, all of whom are related to Aboriginal artist Albert Namatjira.

On Wednesday, July 7 the Minister for Climate Change and the Environment, Frank Sartor, is travelling to Lismore for a ceremony being held to celebrate the official gazetting of the former Cubawee Aboriginal Reserve as a place of special significance to Aboriginal culture (see In Depth this issue). The ceremony is being held at the Old Cubawee Aboriginal Reserve at Tuncester; seven kilometres west of Lismore on the Kyogle Road, and members of the public are invited to attend this historic occasion. It starts at 10am.

On Friday, July 12 the Southern Cross University Family Fun Day will be held on the SCU oval from 10am to 2pm. The Family Fun Day will feature bands, arts and crafts, information stalls, face painting, hip hop and didgeridoo workshops, cultural performances, a jumping castle, sausage sizzle and kids’ activities.

Also, throughout the month of July Caddies Coffee Shop and the Lismore Visitor Information Centre will display local Indigenous artworks and on Saturday, July 10 the Lismore Regional Gallery will present free kids activities hosted by the 3 Rivers Art Space from 10.30am to 12.30pm.

Finally, on Sunday, July 11 the Lismore Visitor Information Centre will have a special exhibition of Indigenous artworks.