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ABC Listen. Hey there, my name is Carly and this is News Time.
Hi Carly. Hi Carly.
Hey Carly. This week is NAIDOC week, a time for all Australians to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Ruby has passed the News Time microphone over my way.
I live on Wyburn, also affectionately called T .I.
You might know it as Thursday Island.
That's in the Torres Strait, and it's Kaurareg country.
My family come from Moer Island.
My family also come from Scotland, Ireland and England.
Moer is one of the 17 islands that people live on here, but there are actually 200 islands in the Torres Strait altogether.
Our seas, so blue, surround our island homes and provide kai -kai, or food.
We have a very special connection to the ocean.
I became a journalist because I love sharing the stories of our mob and the different people, cultures and places that make up this big continent.
On News Time this week, we'll be counting down five stories from my neck of the woods, a Zenith Kess special.
How does that sound?
I'm ready. Alright, too good.
Let's do it. Story number five.
Have you heard of NAIDOC week before?
What do you think it's about?
NAIDOC week is a celebration created by the Aboriginal people and for the Aboriginal people to respect them and to remember them.
You know the first ghost audience of this land?
Yeah, absolutely. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are the first Australians.
We've lived here for over 65 ,000 years and our cultures are the oldest continuing living cultures in the entire world.
NAIDOC week events in towns and cities across Australia give everyone a chance to experience Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
And it's also a time to remember that wherever we are, in what we now call Australia, we are always on Indigenous country.
I live on Gadigal and Whangal land and I like it because my friends and family are here.
Bidigal land. The Gadigal and Whangal are a very energy country.
Every year there's a different thing for NAIDOC week.
This year's theme is Keep the fire burning, black, loud and proud.
It celebrates that Indigenous communities have been standing up for themselves and for what they believe in forever, and invites all Australians to stand with Mum and help their voices be heard.
What do you think the fire is that they're talking about when they say, keep the fire burning?
Proud of that, they've gone through a lot of stuff and they're still going through this.
Make them thrive. To keep their celebrations and their culture alive.
Fire is powerful. Fire can keep us warm when we're cold and light the way when things get dark.
The fire represents the strength of Indigenous cultures.
Standing strong even when there are challenges.
It's a symbol of our connection to land, to each other and to traditions that have been passed down for generations.
The organisers of NAIDOC week hope that with everyone working together, we can build a future where the lives, stories and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are valued and celebrated.
Story number four. You might be familiar with the Aboriginal flag.
It's black on the top and red on the bottom, with a big yellow circle in the middle.
Yes, I've seen it. The black represents the people, this yellow represents the sun, and the red represents the land.
Twenty years after that flag was designed, the Torres Strait Islands got our own flag too.
I'm pretty sure the wind brings the blue, the land brings the green.
The white bit is the hat of the chief.
You got it. In the middle is a white durie.
It's our ceremonial headdress and a five -pointed star to represent the five major island groups.
I think it makes the people happy that they have their own flag.
It was designed by a man named Bernard Namoc who would stay up late at night sketching in the dining room table.
He sent his artwork in to a design competition.
And it won. Bernard's design became the official flag for Zenith Kes.
That's our name for the Torres Strait.
Sadly, Bernard died before the winner was announced, so he never knew he won.
But now his son, Bernard Jr., is telling his dad's story in a children's book called Our Flag, Our Story.
Bernard Jr. worked with Karureg, Kukalgul, and Arab man Thomas Mayo, and also with Miriam and Maliwilgal artist Tori J.
Morde to create the special book.
It tells the story of how the flag came to be and what it means.
I think it's nice that he's doing this for his dad so the whole family will remember it, making it go on and on like a tradition.
Bernard Jr. hopes that Torres Strait Islander young people who read the book will feel proud of their flag and of their heritage too.
Story number three.
We hold elections regularly around Australia.
People put their hand up to be a leader, and members of the community vote for who they think would do the best job.
You have to listen to all the people.
When someone says, can you fix this up?
You have to say, sure, we'll fix it up, we'll try our best.
Earlier this year, elections were held all over Queensland to choose local leaders.
At the Torres Shire Council on Wyburne, Thursday Island, a woman named Elsie Siriat was elected as mayor.
She's the first Karureg traditional owner to become mayor ever.
She was also the second ever female mayor, and the youngest in the Shire's 121 -year history.
Being a traditional owner means Elsie has a really strong connection to her land.
It's the place she grew up, where her family grew up.
Because she's already been on this land for like, and her family has been on the land for thousands and thousands of years.
And she knows the local community and what they need really well.
Elsie says she's wanted to be a leader in her community ever since she was a young girl, and that being mayor gives her more opportunities to speak up for her people and have their voice be heard.
Congratulations Elsie!
This year, across the local elections in the Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula area, more women than ever before were in the mix to be chosen.
Torres Shire Council's new mayor, Elsie, hopes that this is just the beginning, that more women and young people will believe in themselves and put their hands up to be leaders in the future.
Story number two. Cane toads are a pest.
They were brought to Australia years ago, and they've caused problems ever since.
People have tried to find ways to get rid of them, and places where there aren't any yet are trying to keep cane toads out.
Oh, it's like vegan.
It's just like slimy.
They are a bad threat to the environment.
There are already cane toads in some parts of the Torres Strait Islands, like where I live on Wyburn, and cane toad tadpoles can be found in every crack and crevice there.
When heavy rains drench the region, there's a fear that toad populations will explode and make their way to more islands.
That's scary. On Baju Island, another part of the Torres Strait, someone recently spotted a cane toad for the first time.
Ranges immediately sprang to action, searching high and low for the unwelcome visitor, setting traps and working with scientists to test water holes for the woody intruders.
Having cane toads in the area could be risky for community and culture.
Cane toads are poisonous, so if local bird populations eat the toads, they might get sick or even die.
They might think it's like a normal frog or something, and they might give it to their babies or something.
Hawks, eagles, great egrets and giddy giddy ducks are all at risk.
So the community is working together to help keep the islands cane toad free.
Rugby league is a popular type of football in Australia.
Players run the ball from one end of the field to the other, trying not to get tackled by the other team, so they can ground the ball and score a try.
I like it because I know how to play the game.
I know it's just fun to watch, because it's not really a possession sport, so, like, someone's going to score every sack, basically.
Yes! Let's go! Yes!
Rugby league is one of the most popular sports in the Torres Strait.
Islanders are passionate about their footy, so the annual Island of Origin competition is a pretty big deal.
It's like State of Origin, but, like, Island.
In June, five men's teams and three women's teams travelled from around the Torres Strait Islands and final Queensland to Bajo Island, to compete against each other and share their love of footy.
It was a big community event.
Hundreds of football players, their friends and families spent three days at Joe Mairu Memorial Oval, scoring tries and making memories.
And more than 40 ,000 people watched a game or two online during the weekend.
Pretty cool! And I think they should be like, well, I don't care if we win, I don't care if we don't win, it's a fun game.
In the end, the winners were the Parker Panthers and North Queensland United Sisters.
All the teams came together to congratulate them on their wins over a big barbecue and party at the end of the comp.
Great work, everyone!
I mean a big eso to everybody who competed.
And that's the end of our countdown.
Thanks, Carly. Thank you.
Thank you, Carly. Aww, you're welcome.
Happy NAIDOC week! Ruby will be back next week with five news stories for you.
Happy NAIDOC week! Happy NAIDOC week!
Happy Great NAIDOC week!
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