This year’s theme celebrates the unyielding spirit of our communities and invites all to stand in solidarity, amplifying the voices that have long been silenced.
The fire represents the enduring strength and vitality of Indigenous cultures, passed down through generations despite the challenges faced. It is a symbol of connection to the land, to each other, and to the rich tapestry of traditions that define Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. As we honour this flame, we kindle the sparks of pride and unity, igniting a renewed commitment to acknowledging, preserving, and sharing the cultural heritage that enriches our nation.
“Blak, Loud and Proud” encapsulates the unapologetic celebration of Indigenous identity, empowering us to stand tall in our heritage and assert our place in the modern world. This theme calls for a reclamation of narratives, an amplification of voices, and an unwavering commitment to justice and equality. It invites all Australians to listen, learn, and engage in meaningful dialogue, fostering a society where the wisdom and contributions of Indigenous peoples are fully valued and respected.
Through our collective efforts, we can forge a future where the stories, traditions, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are cherished and celebrated, enriching the fabric of the nation with the oldest living culture in the world.For more visit:
The National Reconciliation Week theme for 2024, Now More Than Ever, is a reminder to all of us that no matter what, the fight for justice and the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will – and must – continue.
Now more than ever, we need to tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation. We know that the 6.2 million Australians who voted YES are committed to better outcomes for First Nations people and are with us.
There have been many moments in Australia’s reconciliation journey that make you want to turn away. But when things are divisive, the worst thing we can do is disengage or disconnect.
Together, we must build on the work of the past and create a legacy for the future.
Now more than ever, the work continues: in truth-telling, in understanding our history, in education, and in tackling institutionalised inequity. We need connection. We need respect. We need action. And we need change.
Now more than ever, we need reconciliation.
National Reconciliation Week
National Reconciliation Week – 27 May to 3 June every year – is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to recommit ourselves to reconciliation and the fight for First Nations justice in Australia.
After seeing my artwork on the Opera House an art teacher from Vista Elementary School located in Simi Valley, California USA reached out to me to collaborate on a project for their students from Kindergarten to 6th Grade. The students were really inspired by the Opera House artwork and wanted to do a project with me, so I made a trip into the city and filmed a short video front of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge and shared my journey with them. We gave the students the task of selecting a location they were familiar with and representing this through their artwork (pictured). Some of the locations they selected were places like Disneyland, Universal Studios, Lego Land, Homes, Parks, Pools, Zoos, Beaches etc. I was absolutely honoured to inspire kids across the other side of the world and how much fun they had doing this project some who didn’t want to leave class because they weren’t finished. A Very Special Thank You to Miss Keenan from Vista Elementary Simi Valley for reaching out to me to collaborate on such a special project and to all of the students at Vista Elementary who got involved the artwork are incredible.
I recently received a Community Recognition Statement from local member for Drummoyne, Stephanie Di Pasqua MP in recognition of my murals for the WestConnex Transurban Motorway Control Centre at St. Peters. Always great to see your work appreciated. Thank you, Stephanie Di Pasqua MP for the very nice surprise.
It reads:
RHONDA SAMPSON
Documented in the NSW Parliament Legislative Assembly Hansard on 22 June 2023
I rise to recognise Kamilaroi artist Rhonda Sampson for her artwork titled ‘Connected Journeys’.
Commissioned by Transurban to create the murals for the WestConnex Motorway Control Centre at St. Peters, ‘Connected Journeys’ is a visual representation of our journeys on the WestConnex, keeping connected to country, ocean and each other.
The artwork is installed on two walls within the Control Room, and since being installed has sparked a lot of conversation and encouraged visitors to learn about Indigenous Australians and their history, as well as the clans that make up the Eora Nation.
Rhonda is very passionate about sharing her art and her vision is to empower others to embrace their creative talents and share that gift with the world. To dream beyond your ability and create your vision, to inspire future generations.
I wish to congratulate Rhonda on her amazing artwork and on her inspirational journey.
Walkinshaw Andretti United has today revealed both Indigenous Round liveries the team will run at the Darwin Triple Crown from June 16 -18, designed by Rhonda Sampson. The event will take place on Larrakia country.
Rhonda Sampson is a proud Kamilaroi woman who lives on Dharawal country in South Western Sydney. Art is central to Rhonda’s cultural identity, and she is passionate about sharing this with all people, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous so they can come together on the journey of understanding Aboriginal culture, stories, and identity.
The Mobil 1 NTI Racing Ford Mustang GT No. 2 and Mobil 1 Optus Racing Ford Mustang GT No. 25 will feature separate artworks across the event.
The artwork on Car 25, ‘Connected Communities’, was commissioned by Optus to reflect their commitment to reconciliation and their commitment to create a better, more connected future for all Australians.
At the centre of the livery design is Optus, surrounded by employees from across the nation who are committed to the journey of reconciliation and carrying out their duties in support of Optus’ vision to be Australia’s most loved everyday brand with lasting customer relationships. The four pillars of their Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP): Relationships, Respect, Opportunities and Governance are featured in support of and to guide Optus’ journey of reconciliation which aims to increase, inspire and empower ‘Connected Communities’.
The five Optus values of customer focus, challenger spirit, teamwork, integrity, and personal excellence are also depicted in the artwork by five motifs – highlighting the importance of accountability, respect and reciprocity as Optus’ progresses its reconciliation journey.
The artwork on Car 2, ‘Under the Stars,’ is a visual representation of a commitment to and an ongoing journey towards reconciliation by NTI, which partnered with Walkinshaw Andretti United for the livery.
At the centre of the design is the NTI team members who are committed to making a real difference in the community and strengthening relationships with First Nations peoples across the country.
Located in the four corners of the artwork are the four pillars of a Reconciliation Action Plan.
(RAP): Respect, Relationships. Opportunities and Governance. The stars, which are scattered throughout the piece, represent the night sky and Southern Cross and signify people, customers and partners across Australia working together for a safer and more sustainable future.
For Indigenous Round, NTI have generously hollowed out their logo to ensure the key themes of the Under The Stars is seen by all.
Walkinshaw Andretti United team members will wear a special Indigenous Round polo that features both designs, which will also be for sale in the team merchandise area. Proceeds for those sales will be donated to the Clontarf Foundation, a fantastic organisation that so many of our partners, such as Optus, Ampol, Coates and Hastings Deering, work closely with.
Importantly, through a collaboration between partners Spicers Paper and Signzone, both cars have been wrapped with 3M Envision Print Wrap Film, which is a non-PVC, phthalate-free film, and is made from bio-based materials.
Both cars will open the Darwin Triple Crown this Friday, June 16, at Hidden Valley Raceway for Practice 1 and 2.
Rhonda Sampson – Artist
“It’s great to see the artworks I created for both Optus and NTI on the Walkinshaw Andretti United cars for Indigenous Round, Mustangs are actually my favourite car.
Both artworks were created separately for Optus and NTI and each with their own storyline. To have Walkinshaw Andretti United showcase them for such an important round on Larrakia country is amazing and I’m truly honored.
A special thank you to the KARI Foundation, NTI, Optus, Walkinshaw Andretti United and everyone that works behind the scenes. I can’t wait to see them in action this weekend and I will be cheering you on from Sydney”.
Bruce Stewart – Team Principal, Walkinshaw Andretti United
“It is fantastic to celebrate the contribution of our Indigenous community across our team this weekend. It is a special weekend on our calendar, and one we really look forward to.
“Our thanks go to Optus and NTI who have kindly helped with both our liveries through their artworks, which represent so much, but also a big thank you to our entire partnership group who have fully endorsed and supported the program from the beginning.
“We can’t wait to wear our special Indigenous Round polos with pride this weekend, of course with proceeds going to the Clontarf Foundation, who a number of our partners work closely with. Having their students at the track this weekend is an awesome thing to be a part of.
Matt Williams – Managing Director of Marketing & Revenue, Optus
“We are really excited about bringing together our valued partner in Walkinshaw Andretti United and Kamilaroi artist, Rhonda Sampson, who designed our Reconciliation Action Plan artwork, titled ‘Connected Communities’.
Celebrating the valued contribution of our Indigenous community is extremely important to us at Optus, and we recognise the importance of listening, learning and reflecting to build a lasting relationship with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We can’t wait to see the livery on the track at Hidden Valley.”
Jason Kibsgaard – Head of Marketing, NTI
“We’re excited to celebrate First Nations people and culture over the weekend of racing in Darwin. It’s always a round that has a unique capacity to unite people from all across Australia.
“’Under the Stars’ holds a lot of meaning for all of NTI’s people across Australia, and I love how obviously the artwork has been used as the feature of the car.
“The WAU Team have done fantastic job of respecting the story and meaning of Rhonda’s artwork when incorporating it onto what we think is the best looking car on the track.”
The very special livery that Truck Assist Racing will field for the Indigenous Round has been unveiled ahead of the Darwin Triple Crown.
The design was created by Sydney artist and proud Kamilaroi woman, Rhonda Sampson, and implemented onto the team’s Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s by Nick Moss Design and SS Signs.
Both Car #34, driven by Jack Le Brocq, and Car #35, driven by Cameron Hill, will feature the artwork.
The livery will then remain on the cars for the NTI Townsville 500 next month.
Sampson’s artwork, Under the Stars, is a visual representation of parent company NTI’s values and work with Australian industries, as well as a commitment to reconciliation – supported by the famous Truck Assist orange.
The imagery on the roof of both cars signifies NTI and Truck Assist team members, who are committed to making a real difference in the community and strengthening relationships with First Nations peoples across Australia.
Featuring prominently on the doors is a representation of the Truck Assist brand.
The stars, which are scattered throughout the artwork, represent the night sky and Southern Cross – signifying NTI and Truck Assist Racing’s people, customers, and partners across Australia working together for a safer and more sustainable future.
Running from the bonnet over the roof to the rear of the car is the journey of shared history incorporating Past, Present, and Future.
MSR Team Owner, Matt Stone said: “I think we have great looking cars this year and this Darwin round Indigenous livery really adds to that.
“The colours and the meaning of the artwork is really cool – I think the team have done a great job integrating the artwork with our normal livery.
“I’d say this is our best Indigenous livery yet, so we’re going to keep it for Townsville as well because Townsville is the NTI 500 round and, of course, this artwork that Rhonda did was done to represent NTI.
“I’m looking forward to seeing it on track this weekend in Darwin.”
NTI’s Head of Marketing, Jason Kibsgaard, said: “The Truck Assist Racing team have done an incredible job integrating the artwork of Rhonda Sampson that represents NTI’s people and brands – including Truck Assist.
“I love how the artwork has been applied across the whole car; there’s a lot of meaning behind it and the team have done a great job by respecting that meaning and ensuring it really does tell a story.”
On the front wheel arches of Car #35 is the company Gear Select – a majority owned Indigenous business which specialises in equipment finance and hire solutions.
Gear Select aims to make a difference by helping the community gain access and knowledge in the areas of budgeting and finance.
MSR’s Indigenous Round liveries will take to Hidden Valley Raceway for Supercars’s opening practice session on Friday morning.
On Wednesday 31st May I joined Optus’ National Reconciliation Week event as a panellist to discuss what it means to ‘Be A Voice for Generations.
A pleasure to share the stage with Billy Watkins (Optus Graduate and proud Bundjalung man) Frances Martin (VP of Operations & Enablement, advocate, ally, and RAP committee member) and panel facilitator Kate Aitken (VP People & Culture).
A truly engaging panel discussion and it was a pleasure to share the meaning behind the artwork and the role art plays in storytelling to preserve First Nations people’s histories, cultures, and traditions.
So great to see so many people come together for the event. Thanks to all the panellists for your insights and to and Kate Aitken for hosting the event – it was an enlightening and courageous discussion that really highlighted the importance of taking meaningful action to advance reconciliation.
We are so excited to announce that the winner of the 2023 National NAIDOC Week Poster Competition is Bobbi Lockyer, a proud Ngarluma, Kariyarra, Nyulnyul and Yawuru artist, born and based on Kariyarra Country in Port Hedland.
Bobbi’s art is not defined by conventional means, instead she provides an insight into her creative heart and soul through an array of different mediums, including Aboriginal art, fine art paintings, photography, illustration and digital design.
“As an artist I find art healing, when I sit down with a canvas and some paints, I’m able to connect with my ancestors and my culture and feel a sense of self-healing and there’s just something so calming about creating. When I create, it’s like a whole other world,” said Bobbi.
The National NAIDOC Week Poster is an iconic feature of National NAIDOC Week, and has a rich and significant history beginning in the 1960s when the National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) first began producing posters.
Bobbi’s artwork, For Our Elders, is a heart-warming piece that pays tribute to our Elders. “With this year’s poster design, I really just wanted to honour all our Elders and I started sketching straight away thinking who could I put on this poster, but then I realised I didn’t want to just put a specific Elder because all our Elders are equally important and are integral to our lives,” said Bobbi.
The National NAIDOC Committee would like to thank the many deadly artists who entered into this year’s National NAIDOC Week Poster Competition, and would like to strongly encourage them to enter the competition next year. Co-Chair, Dr Lynette Riley said “Each year, judging and selecting the artwork is one of the toughest jobs of the National NAIDOC Committee as there is so much talent amongst all our Mob!”
Bobbi will receive a $10,000 cash prize and attend the 2023 National NAIDOC Awards Ceremony in Meanjin (Brisbane) on 1 July this year as a guest of the National NAIDOC Committee.
This year National NAIDOC Week will run from 2-9 July.
In other exciting news, posters will also be available through select Kmart and Target stores. Find out more about how you can get your poster from Kmart and Target here.
Kamilaroi artist Rhonda Sampson would like us to know a little bit more about Barangaroo, the Indigenous woman whose name is given to the six-hectare reserve in Sydney where the 20th WugulOra morning ceremony takes place on Thursday morning.
The ceremony, a sacred and reflective celebration of First Nations culture, has taken place on January 26, the same day the First Fleet sailed into Sydney Harbour in 1788, since 2003.
Just before a flame is lit on Me-Mel (Goat Island) and transported via the Tribal Warrior to Barangaroo to be used in the smoking ceremony, one of Sampson’s artworks, Diyan Warrane, will be projected onto the Sydney Opera House.
It is a celebration of First Nations women around the waters of Sydney Harbour, specifically, four skilled fisherwomen who have made significant contributions to Indigenous history – Barangaroo, Patyegarang, Daringa and Boorong.
“The women pretty much ruled those waters fishing; they were the main providers for their clans,” Sampson said.
“Today its usually men associated with the fishing, but back then it was the women. So, I thought we would shine a spotlight on these women and their contributions to Sydney’s story.”
Sampson grew up in Campbelltown in Sydney’s south-west. She said art had always been a part of her life, but it wasn’t until recently that it evolved into her career.
“It’s something that’s natural to our people. We are natural artists, so I have been drawing since I was a young girl.
“It wasn’t until about five years ago, that I got curious about graphic design, and I went to Campbelltown TAFE and did a certificate three just to dip my toes into the water.
“It sort of lit a flame within me, it switched something on that I now can’t turn off, and it’s grown into what it is. I started up a small business, just a solo artist, and the journey has been pretty amazing.”
Diyan Warrane is a celebration of First Nations women from Sydney Harbour.
Sampson designed artwork for the Pemulwuy ferry in the 2022 Australia Day Ferrython. Now a year later, her work will shine in the Dawn Reflection, at the same time as the Aboriginal flag is raised atop the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
The artist, whose family originates from Coonabarabran in central-west NSW, sought out the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council for advice on what she should incorporate into her artwork.
“We sat there for two hours, and they gave me so much information. I walk through Sydney now very differently.
“I can see these women there; it changed something in me and how I look at the city now. I walk through Hyde Park for example, and those old trees would have seen everything: the women, the fishing, the gatherings – everything that I have spoken about in the artwork.
” It’s not an achievement, it’s not a celebration for me. I actually can’t put it into words. I’m just proud of my culture, proud of who I am, and so proud to share the stories of these beautiful women.
“There are so many different ways of telling the stories, and that’s something I want to contribute to as well, to continue telling the stories through my artwork. That’s what keeps the culture alive.”
Royal Life Saving NSW ACT TAS are pleased to present their Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan endorsed by Reconciliation Australia.
Royal Life Saving NSW would like to acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the Traditional Custodians of our land – Australia. In particular the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation who are the Traditional Custodians of this place we now call Sydney and pay our respects to their Elders past present and future.
We are committed to driving reconciliation both within the Royal Life Saving Society NSW | ACT | TAS and throughout the broader aquatic industry.
Royal Life Saving NSW ACT TAS is committed to working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and developing positive relationships where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices are heard and listened to.
We currently work across multiple communities in NSW, ACT and TAS. In developing the RAP, the organisation is committing to reconciliation and transformation to actively work with Aboriginal and Torres strait Islander peoples respectfully and successfully. We are surrounded by lakes, river, pools and creeks, these waterways are the basis of our organisation and thus working with Traditional Owners is essential.
Our ‘Flowing Knowledge’ artwork, created by Rhonda Sampson, proud Kamilaroi woman, is depicted throughout the RAP. The artwork Elements and representation are highlighted in the image below:
We are committed to continuing to partner with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations as we work to implement and continuously develop our reconciliation journey.
Royal Life Saving would like to acknowledge the support of Reconciliation Australia, KARI, The Primary Creative group, and Rhonda Sampson in bringing this important milestone in our reconciliation journey to life.
