NRL Cowboys House: Families add traditional food flair to NAIDOC celebrations

The families of NRL Cowboys House students added a generous twist of traditional foodie flair to NAIDOC celebrations. See the photos.

Anaclita Ahmat – NRL Cowboys House Dance Performance. Families of NRL Cowboys House students came together to share stories, cultural activities, dancing and traditional food as part of the Indigenous boarding facility’s NAIDOC celebrations in Townsville at the weekend. Picture: Supplied

The families of NRL Cowboys House students have added a generous twist of traditional foodie flair to NAIDOC celebrations.

Rochelle Jones, general manager of the Indigenous boarding facility in Townsville, said families involved in the annual celebrations in 2023 witnessed first-hand the effort put in behind the scenes and decided to prepare the food for this year’s event on Saturday.

“They brought huge amounts of ingredients down from their own communities, created a traditional menu and did a huge cook-up, which was just so special.”

She said the event allowed participants to celebrate the culture, history and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples together.

“The NAIDOC theme this year is Keep the Fire Burning, and for us at NRL Cowboys House, that’s about passing down knowledge from generation to generation,” she said.

Families of NRL Cowboys House students came together to share stories, cultural activities, dancing and traditional food as part of the Indigenous boarding facility’s NAIDOC celebrations in Townsville at the weekend. Picture: Supplied

“Our students come from some of Australia’s most remote and geographically disadvantaged communities to live far away from their families and attend schools in Townsville, so they often miss out on some of that connection.”

The NAIDOC Week theme for 2024 is ‘Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud’ which celebrates the survival and relentless spirit of First Nations’ communities.

Irene Mari – NRL Cowboys House Dance Performance. Families of NRL Cowboys House students came together to share stories, cultural activities, dancing and traditional food as part of the Indigenous boarding facility’s NAIDOC celebrations in Townsville at the weekend. Picture: Supplied

NRL Cowboys House NAIDOC Day celebrations are held later in the year because students are at home in their communities for school holidays during the nationally observed NAIDOC Week.

Traditional Owner and Elder Helen Gordon from Cooktown hosted a stall teaching traditional artwork to children, saying the celebrations were of “great significance”.

“I feel that it’s bringing culture to the children and making them aware of where they originated from,” Helen said.

“Within our hearts we want to keep that fire burning and keep educating our children and showing them the culture that we had learned from our descendants.”

Didgeridoo making with Bradely Michael. Families of NRL Cowboys House students came together to share stories, cultural activities, dancing and traditional food as part of the Indigenous boarding facility’s NAIDOC celebrations in Townsville at the weekend. Picture: Supplied

Traditional scone cooking. Families of NRL Cowboys House students came together to share stories, cultural activities, dancing and traditional food as part of the Indigenous boarding facility’s NAIDOC celebrations in Townsville at the weekend. Picture: Supplied

Ms Gordon said NRL Cowboys House taught the children about “the lifestyle of today and how to communicate but still hold on to their culture”.

The NAIDOC activity stations included Didgeridoo making, dilly bag making, grass skirt making, spear throwing, totem pole painting, dance workshops, weaving, scone and damper making, bush tucker and charcoal drawing.

This National NAIDOC Week Activity was funded by the National Indigenous Australians Agency.

Originally published as NRL Cowboys House: Families add traditional food flair to NAIDOC celebrations