As we honour NAIDOC Week 2024 with the theme “Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud, and Proud,” we are reminded of the vital importance of community and cultural connection. The words of a St Vincent’s Hospital patient resonate: “It’s all about community; it’s about mob; it’s about implementing things to help our people.”
At St Vincent’s Clinic Research Foundation, we recognise the importance of Indigenous knowledge systems in healthcare. We strive to promote meaningful collaborations and work towards equitable health outcomes for all Australians.
Initiatives like the Dalarinji Yarn’n Circle, funded by a Foundation grant, prioritise community engagement to ensure our interventions meet the specific needs of the Aboriginal population. These efforts aim to build trust and provide culturally appropriate care. By integrating Aboriginal perspectives into discharge planning and communication, we can further enhance healthcare delivery for Indigenous communities.
This year, staff and patients across the campus celebrated NAIDOC Week with a series of events, including a smoking ceremony in the Clinic foyer and a performance by the Ngambaa Dhalaay Aboriginal Dance Company. The dancers led us on a cultural journey, sharing contemporary Aboriginal storytelling.
Guest speaker Daniel McDonald, a Gadigal and Wonnarua artist, spoke to medical specialists and junior medical staff about his struggle with having a disability. Daniel shared:
“I grew up with several barriers—being Aboriginal, having a disability (hearing impairment), and being gay. Because I’m deaf, I struggled with communicating and was bullied. I just wanted to stay home. I felt safer at home, and I had no friends, so I decided to pursue art. I wanted to work and do something I could be proud of. I tried and tried, but the lack of communication due to my disability made it very difficult.”
Along with being an artist, Daniel is dedicated to amplifying the voices of people with disabilities in the arts and culture sectors.
These celebrations aim to honour and recognise the history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Let’s keep the fire of our cultural heritage burning and stand Blak, Loud, and Proud together.
One of Daniel’s pieces, titled “Time is Now,” took him six months to paint during COVID. It was displayed at St Vincent’s Clinic throughout NAIDOC Week.
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of this country, including the Gadigal people of the Eora nation – whose lands on which this Clinic is built, and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters, and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders’s past, present and emerging.
