The Riverina Regional Library will host multiple NAIDOC-themed activities for children over the July school holidays. Photo: Supplied.
Parents can expect a host of fun activities over the July school holidays provided by Riverina Regional Library, including cultural workshops, artefact displays and creative competitions that celebrate NAIDOC Week.
NAIDOC Week is an annual event that celebrates and recognises the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It’s held on the first week of July (6 to 13) across Australia, and falls within the school holidays this year.
Libraries in Coolamon, Mulwala, Howlong, Corowa, Gundagai, Junee and Tumut will host cultural workshops, indigenous art and craft, artefact displays and special story times.
Local artist Rob Clark will host an artefacts workshop at the Coolamon Library, where he will showcase and explain the uses of traditional weapons and artefacts.
“The kids will get to see shields, coolamons, traditional weapons like nulla nulla, digging sticks and grinding stones,” Mr Clark said.
“I’ve got a beautiful turtle coolamon that has been handed down through the generations, as well as some artefacts from the Northern Territory, like rainmakers and emu callers.”
There will be special story times at the Riverina Regional Library to celebrate NAIDOC Week. Photo: Supplied.
Children can attempt some NAIDOC themed craft at Bland Library on Wednesday 9 July or enjoy a NAIDOC themed story time with local elders at Gundagai or Tumut libraries on Thursday 10 July.
Wiradjuri elder and international artist David Dunn will run an Indigenous art workshop at Junee Library on Thursday as well.
Aunty Iris Troutman will lead an interactive storytelling and art workshop in Corowa, Howlong and Mulwala libraries, where children will make their own footprint charms and contribute to a community canvas.
Coolamon Library will also host a gulamon (coolamon) workshop for teens and a waybarra (weaving) workshop for adults.
Parents can enter their little ones in holiday competitions and showcase their writing, colouring and bookmark-making prowess, or workshops to make crafts (from ordinary household items) such as paper plate craft, button flower bouquets or treasure boxes and fairy doors made from paddle pop sticks.
Kids can also make dragon and fairy lamps from coffee jars and stained-glass insects from milkshake cup tops.
Junee Library is running a bookmark competition for Library and Information Week, while Snowy Valley Libraries in Tumut, Batlow, Tumbarumba, and the RRL mobile library, will be running a writing competition.
All NAIDOC Week events are free, but bookings are required for some of them. School holidays events will run beyond 13 July.
The full holiday program can be found on the Riverina Regional Library’s website.
