NAIDOC Week awards recognise contributions from Toowoomba’s Indigenous leaders

NAIDOC Week celebrations have started in Toowoomba, recognising the Darling Downs’ rising Indigenous stars and strong community leaders.

Toowoomba NAIDOC gala dinner MC Janet Suey (second, from right) with award recipients (from left) Ashayla-Mia Mitchell (Artist of the Year), Julia Spackman (Tertiary Aspiration) and Lizzie Adams (Community Champion), Sunday, July 6, 2025. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Legacy leads the way this NAIDOC week as Toowoomba rallies to celebrate the region’s rising Indigenous stars and strong community elders.

NAIDOC Week celebrations kicked off in Toowoomba at the weekend, promoting this year’s theme ‘The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy’.

“It’s what we do anyway – what our elders do, what our community members do – we try and bring through our younger generation to be able to carry on that legacy that’s been created,” NAIDOC committee member Janet Suey said.

“Our elders, the ones that I grew up with, we are losing them; if those stories and those connections they hold are not passed down to the next generation they’re not going to be able to be passed down.”

Toowoomba NAIDOC awards recipients (from left) Ashayla-Mia Mitchell (Artist of the Year), Lizzie Adams (Community Champion) and Julia Spackman (Tertiary Aspirations), Sunday, July 6, 2025. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Ms Suey said the region’s young Indigenous population has reached out more and more to elders and community leaders for guidance and support as they navigate life.

“I do notice that a lot of our young kids are looking up more to our older generation,” Ms Suey said.

“A lot of people within our community that are second generation are starting to step up and wanting to be someone that can pass on our culture and legacy.

“Having our little ones come along to NAIDOC Week and seeing their aunties and uncles and grandparents really excelling at what they doing; they are seeing they can be whatever they want to be, and every young kid deserves to see that.

“If we can expand our kid’s horizon, that’s a win, that’s a legacy that we are passing on to the next generation.”

Toowoomba NAIDOC gala dinner MC Janet Suey, Sunday, July 6, 2025. Picture: Kevin Farmer

For many of Toowoomba’s Indigenous residents, connecting back to their culture is a means of healing familial wounds.

“Toowoomba is a very transient community, we have a lot of people that come in from different communities, so when they’re connecting with somebody here that is connected to their grandparents or someone from their home, it just makes them feel more at home,” Ms Suey said.

“It’s about them connecting with who their family is because a lot of people don’t know, it’s been lost.”

Ms Suey said she had witnessed local support for NAIDOC Week swell, with this year’s NAIDOC awards gala hosting a record breaking 380 attendees, all gathered to celebrate Toowoomba’s Indigenous community.

“This year is 50 years of NAIDOC, here in Toowoomba we have unofficially been celebrating all that time but officially we started to recognise the people within our community and their achievements from 1979 – that is 46 years just celebrating our people,” she said.

“We’ve gone from just having Aboriginal community members in a little hall to having 380 Australians celebrating the achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.”

Lizzie Adams was named the Community Champion at the Toowoomba NAIDOC awards, Sunday, July 6, 2025. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Among the awardees at Saturday night event was prominent Toowoomba philanthropist Lizzie Adams who took home the Community Champion award.

For Ms Suey, it is important NAIDOC Week is a celebration embraced by all Australians – a way to connect, despite our different backgrounds, and work towards a better future.

“People sometimes think NAIDOC week is for Aboriginal people, it’s not, it’s about reconciliation,” she said.

“There are so many things that, as a nation, we could learn from each other; everybody has something they can provide.

“I have grandkids; I want them to know who they are culturally but also know they are a part of a bigger community – not just the Aboriginal community, but the community of Toowoomba or anywhere else they want to go.

“We are a very multicultural country with Aboriginal roots and our country is so beautiful.

“We need to acknowledge the history but live in the present and prepare for the future.”

Toowoomba NAIDOC awards recipients (from left) Ashayla-Mia Mitchell (Artist of the Year), Lizzie Adams (Community Champion) and Julia Spackman (Tertiary Aspirations), Sunday, July 6, 2025. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Support Toowoomba’s Indigenous community and join one of the many NAIDOC Week celebrations in town this week:

Monday July 7

Mayoral flag raising at the Village Green from 8am followed by a march, to the Goods Shed where there will be a breakfast and Q&A.

NAIDOC Community Expo at the Goods Shed from 10am to 3pm.

Contact Amee at 0488 131 311 or Jean at 0421 191 201 for more information.

Tuesday July 8

NAIDOC Trivia Night at Jack Martin Centre. Doors open at 5pm for a 6pm start. Contact Nikki at 0424 035 492 for more information.

Wednesday July 9

Police morning tea and flag raising at 10am at Toowoomba Police Station, 161 Hume St.

Blue Light Disco at Laurel Bank Park Hall from 5pm to 8pm.

Thursday July 10

NAIDOC community sports expo and fun day at Jack Martin Centre. Starts at 10am to 2pm. Contact Trish at 0407 593 062 for more information.

Friday July 11

NAIDOC Bingo at St Patrick’s Cathedral at 5pm. Contact Trish at 0407 593 062 for more information.