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1. Minjerribah Moorgumpin Elders-in-Council

   The Minjerribah Moorgumpin Elders-in-Council Aboriginal Corporation in Queensland was created to record and teach people about caring for Country for future generations.

2. Listen

   Minjerribah Moorgumpin Elders-in-Council Aboriginal Corporation (MMEIC)

   National NAIDOC Caring for Country and Culture Award Category

   

   Minjerribah Moorgumpin Elders-in-Council Aboriginal Corporation (MMEIC) is guided by Elder-led cultural protocols, ensuring cultural authority in all we do. We elevate young Quandamooka voices, creating spaces for intergenerational knowledge of caring for Country. 

   Through community-led justice reinvestment, we strengthen social and emotional wellbeing, reconnect youth with culture, and are currently developing the Quandamooka Justice and Healing Strategy. 

   This strategy embraces holistic understandings of justice for Quandamooka people, our Country, and our waterways. MMEIC exemplifies excellence in caring for Country, delivering lasting, intergenerational benefits for the Quandamooka people, our lands, and our waters—guided always by ancient knowledge and community-led approaches, shaping a future grounded in cultural strength and freedom.

3. Listen

   Dr Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr Baumann AM

   National NAIDOC Female Elder Award Category

   

   Dr Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr Baumann AM is a proud Ngan’giwumirri woman and Elder from Nauiyu in the Daly River region of the Northern Territory. Dr Miriam-Rose is a renowned educator, artist, and public speaker. Dr Miriam-Rose has dedicated her life to improving educational outcomes for Aboriginal children and began this journey when she became a teacher’s aide at St Francis Xavier community school in the Daly River region. In 1975, Dr Miriam-Rose became the Northern Territory’s first fully qualified Aboriginal teacher, and she strongly believes that education is the way forward. 

   Dr Miriam-Rose went on to work with arts teachers in Victoria at non-Indigenous schools promoting art to children as a form of expression. Dr Miriam-Rose returned home and continued her passion for art and education by working in schools around the Northern Territory. As an art consultant for the Department of Education, she visited schools throughout the Top End, advocating for the inclusion of visual art as part of every child’s education. This incredible advocacy led to major curriculum reforms.  

   Dr Miriam-Rose continuously pushed for more Aboriginal people to become teachers and trained 7 other Indigenous teachers in her community. Dr Miriam-Rose later became the principal of the Catholic school in her home community of Nauiyu, before being appointed to the Federal Government’s advisory body, the National Indigenous Council. 

   She has advocated for greater inclusion of Aboriginal culture and art in schools. Her tireless work and advocacy in education was recognised when she became a Member of the Order of Australia in 1998.  

   In 2013, she established the Miriam Rose Foundation inspired to make a difference after a series of tragic youth suicides in the community, with the last being her nephew. She wanted to provide something that would make the youth feel like they belong and valued in their community. Her foundation supports children in her home town of Nauiyu – a remote Northern Territory community, through providing the four pillars, Education, Opportunity, Art and Culture.  

   In 1988 Dr Miriam-Rose presented Dadirri to the World. The word, concept and spiritual practice that is dadirri (da-did-ee), from the Ngan’gikurunggurr and Ngen’giwumirri languages of the Aboriginal peoples of the Daly River region . In the words of Aunty, “it is inner, deep listening and quiet, still awareness. Dadirri recognises the deep spring that is inside us. We call on it and it calls to us. This is the gift that Australia is thirsting for. It is something like what you call "contemplation". When I experience dadirri, I am made whole again. I can sit on the riverbank or walk through the trees; even if someone close to me has passed away, I can find my peace in this silent awareness. There is no need of words. A big part of dadirri is listening.” 

   In 2021 Dr Miriam-Rose’s body of work was recognised when she was named Senior Australian of the Year. She was also chosen as one of 10 everyday Australians to form part of a national delegation, along with the Prime Minister to attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. 

   Through her professional and creative life, Dr Miriam-Rose has remained dedicated to maintaining the cultural independence of her people and being a spokesperson for an Aboriginal worldview. In recognition of her leadership, she was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia medal and an Honorary PhD in Education from Charles Darwin University. Recently she was awarded a second honorary doctorate by Australian Catholic University, degree of Doctor of the University.   

   Dr Miriam-Rose has, fittingly, with her passion for art in education, been a lifelong painter. Her artwork was featured in the published book Australian Stations of the Cross, and her illustrations in famous Australian author Alan Marshall’s book People of the Dreaming. She supported the Elders in her community to establish the successful Merrepen Arts Centre in Nauiyu in 1986 which provided an opportunity and gathering space for Aboriginal artists from the Daly River region.  She wanted to help create a space to record the stories of culture and dreaming as she recognised that Aboriginal people traditionally record stories through art and dance. 

   Dr Miriam-Rose is a respected Elder who has learned to walk in two worlds, and now dedicates her time educating young Aboriginal children to do the same with her unique style of education that combines western knowledge with cultural teaching.  She also now educates Australia and the World about Aboriginal culture, spirituality and how we can find reconciliation through deeply listening to each other.

4. DeadlyScience Documentary Screening

   MIRVAC has partnered with DeadlyScience for an exclusive Q&A and screening of Take Heart: Deadly Heart.

5. The Mission

   The Mission is a powerful dramatic performance that follows the journey of “Fighting Gunditjmara” man, Allan McDonald – one of the first Aboriginal soldiers from Victoria to enlist for war. He fought at Gallipoli and Beersheba, only to be denied a soldier’s settlement on his ultimate return to Aust
6. In Conversation – Missions Connect Virtual Reality Experience
   Missions Connect is a virtual reality environment that brings together stories of Stolen Generations survivors and spatial imaging technology in a powerful, immersive way. Hear from the project creators and survivors about how this initiative is forging paths towards truth-telling and reconciliatio
7. Listen

   Mitchell Harrison-Currie

   National NAIDOC Youth Award Category

   

   Mitchell is a proud 25 year old Aboriginal man with deep connections to the Mununjali peoples of the Yugambeh Nation, the Minyungbal peoples of the Bundjalung Nation as well as further connections to the Gunggari peoples of south-west QLD. The direct links to Country are Beaudesert, Fingal Head (NSW) and Mitchell, Queensland.

   Mitchell began his journey within performing arts in 2015, having discovered Aboriginal contemporary fusion dance in high school. Mitchell was awarded the Order of Australia Association 2015 Queensland Secondary Schools Citizenship Award for outstanding commitment to school and community. This awakened a passion and self-discovery which lead Mitchell to go on to complete an Advanced Diploma in Performing Arts, majoring in dance. Since graduating in 2018, Mitchell has put his knowledge into action by working extensively with community, Elders and youth within the performing arts, cultural and education sectors. Mitchell has choreographed works for school and community events, lead numerous workshops and performed in a number of independent and large scale productions.

   At the core of Mitchell’s values and aspirations is the desire to ensure that our young people are proud and strong in their culture and identity. Mitchell hopes that through the confidence they gain from dance, they can grow and strengthen their own identity, skillset, and self-confidence and carry this strength with them through their lives. 

   Mitchell’s first big project was in 2019, when he was only 20 years old. Yugumbeh Elder, poet, and activist, Uncle Lionel Foggarty shared the Warrajum (Rainbow Serpent) Dreaming story with Mitchell and the community. The Warrajum story tells the correlation of our Totems, the Gullaninni (Water Hen) and Mibunn (Wedge-Tailed Eagle) and how they came to be. Mitchell was given permission to share this story through dance, which was a responsibility that he took very seriously. The performance inspired the revitalisation of dance in the community and the Warrajum creation story now continues to live on by being passed down to future generations to maintain connection to culture and Country.

   Already at 20 years old, Mitchell was committed to and embedded in dance. However, this was his first significant project and finalmade it undeniably clear to Mitchell that performance itself creates a legacy as he witnessed first hands the ongoing ripple effects the performance had on community.

   Mitchell has been a recipient of the Russell Page Graduate Award, which is a 12 month contract awarded to an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance graduate or early career artist who wants to develop as professional dancer and performer in the performing arts space as part of Bangarra dance theatre. Mitchell was then offered an additional 12 month contract with Bangarra travelling Australia working with communities far and wide to connect with culture through contemporary dance.

   Over the last few years Mitchell has worked with Creative Generation (C-GEN) – State Schools Onstage who give students, teachers and school communities the opportunity to be involved in a professionally produced, award-winning arena spectacular. This year Mitchell is working with 90 students on their latest production. This involves creative concepts, choreography, music, and coordinating school participation.

   This year, Mitchell started his own business – Nalingurrie Projects. Nalingu is the Gunggari word for sharing, and gurrie or kurri means clan in Minyungbal language. Nalingurrie strives to enable artists to collaborate, grow and perform self-determined works within the creative arts space through live performance. Through Nalingurrie, Mitchell places significant focus on running youth programs, fashion, screen and media.

   For CGEN, Mitchell will continue mentoring future dance professionals by providing industry standard training and pathways from school performance to post school training and to continue to achieve his personal career aspirations as a performer.

   Mitchell has recently choreographed the large scale Dreamtime pre-show performance, working with well renowned First Nations performing artists and professional, industry recognised dancers.

8. Fire Pit Conversations

   On Monday 8 July we invite you to join us around the fire pit for our Fire Pit Conversations as part of NAIDOC Week.

9. Montana Ah-Won

   Montana Ah-Won is an 18 year old Miriwoong Gajeroong woman from Kununurra in Western Australia’s East Kimberley.

10. Mookaroo Festival

    Mookaroo Festival is the annual Northern Corridor celebration of NAIDOC. Free, fun, food for all celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders through dance, culture, art, craft & music.