Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Larrakia man, Dr Richard Fejo talks about what's happening for NAIDOC Week

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Larrakia man, Dr Richard Fejo talks about what's happening for NAIDOC Week · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: It is ny Doc Week. It's running from the third
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  Speaker 1: until the tenth of July. Your opportunity to get up,
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  Speaker 1: stand up and show up, and there are a raft
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  Speaker 1: of different events which have been planned. Now joining me
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  Speaker 1: on the line to tell us a little bit more
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  Speaker 1: is the wonderful Richie Fijo, who many of you will
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  Speaker 1: know are proud Larichia Man.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning to.
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  Speaker 3: You, Richard, good morning, how are you very well?
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  Speaker 1: And I should have actually said doctor Richard Fijo, congratulations mate,
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  Speaker 1: thank you.
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  Speaker 3: I'm still a bit shocked.
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  Speaker 2: Well, what does it all mean? I know that you
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  Speaker 2: know that in May you were awarded.
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  Speaker 1: That honorary doctorate from Flinders University to acknowledge your work
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  Speaker 1: in cross cultural education and improving outcomes for Aboriginal people.
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  Speaker 1: It's an amazing recognition. You must have felt incredibly proud.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, I actually didn't see it coming so ilmost fell
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  Speaker 3: out of my seat when I saw the email initially.
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  Speaker 3: But it's actually a new direction that we need to
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  Speaker 3: head in. It's recognizing the cultural and community contributions through
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  Speaker 3: universities and academia and they're actually my doctorate is a
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  Speaker 3: reflection of what I've been doing for the last twelve
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  Speaker 3: years and training doctors and Aboriginal culture.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah right, and it's something that you know that some
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  Speaker 1: people just wouldn't even think about, but it is absolutely
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  Speaker 1: essential with you know, with doctors being able to you know,
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  Speaker 1: knowing exactly what they need to be aware of when
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  Speaker 1: it comes to Aboriginal culture.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah. And we've been talking about the health topic for
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  Speaker 3: some time with Flinders University. We've already had talks with
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  Speaker 3: Thomas Mayer on Ularu and Sean Howard from Guana and
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  Speaker 3: so many other people on webinars about indigenous topics and
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  Speaker 3: you can actually find these through the link for Flinders
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  Speaker 3: which is called Health Game Changes dot com dot au.
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  Speaker 1: And how is you know, like, how is that discussion
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  Speaker 1: as well going to be incorporated with some of the
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  Speaker 1: events that we're going to see this week when it
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  Speaker 1: comes to night orkwak.
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  Speaker 3: Well in regards to the theory, what we're doing is
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  Speaker 3: we're changing the conversation about how we're engaging with health.
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  Speaker 3: So what we're looking at is recognition of Aboriginal people
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  Speaker 3: and what they've done for community and rewarding them in
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  Speaker 3: the way that I've been acknowledged and recognized and given
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  Speaker 3: the doctorship. So we're also looking at building the approach
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  Speaker 3: towards Aboriginal people and looking at our capacity where we
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  Speaker 3: can be brought into education and research. For so long
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  Speaker 3: we've been under the microscope where we actually need to
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  Speaker 3: be changing our position, so we can be looking into
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  Speaker 3: the microscope and we can be part of that conversation.
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  Speaker 3: So it's repositioning ourselves and we're extending the wording around
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  Speaker 3: leadership to give it a broader definition, so ignizing people
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  Speaker 3: in sports, people in arts, what does leadership mean and
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  Speaker 3: what how we can change the direction of Aboriginal health,
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  Speaker 3: especially when it's Aboriginal.
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  Speaker 1: Lad help and Richard, I know that you know that
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  Speaker 1: we we obviously have NATEOC Week happening this week. It's
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  Speaker 1: the opportunity for that discussion to happen. But you know,
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  Speaker 1: here in the Northern Territory we have you know, we
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  Speaker 1: have got more Aboriginal people our you know, we've got
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  Speaker 1: over thirty percent of the population is indeed indigenous. I
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  Speaker 1: would imagine that there's not only going to be a
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  Speaker 1: really broad sort of discussion that happens throughout this week,
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  Speaker 1: but a lot to celebrate as well.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, I actually started off yesterday at Parmiston throwing a
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  Speaker 3: hey out there for the Parmison Committee and all the
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  Speaker 3: groups that were out there. The torrest Rate Islander dances
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  Speaker 3: that always show up, the one Mob dancers, the lary
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  Speaker 3: Keia dancers. You know, these are the people that have
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  Speaker 3: been putting in long term commitment to our community and
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  Speaker 3: being creating that inclusive environment Larichian Nation. With the flag
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  Speaker 3: raising ceremony, all the organizations and the supporters that come
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  Speaker 3: and be a part of Nadock's Aboriginal and non Aboriginal organizations,
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  Speaker 3: and don't forget our tri Straight Islander brothers and sisters
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  Speaker 3: that always come proudly walk with us.
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  Speaker 1: Now. I know that sometimes when it comes to something
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  Speaker 1: like Nadock Week, for those that aren't Indigenous or don't
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  Speaker 1: have Indigenous or Torres Strait Islander family members, they sort
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  Speaker 1: of wonder whether they can get involved in Nadok Week
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  Speaker 1: as well and be part of it.
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  Speaker 2: Richard, you know, do you want the whole community there?
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  Speaker 3: I reckon from my perspective, absolutely, yeah, because particularly in
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  Speaker 3: Darwin and the Northern Turkey, we actually celebrate multicultural rooms
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  Speaker 3: and quite well, so we try to go out of
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  Speaker 3: our way to create a welcoming environment. We're all about
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  Speaker 3: inclusion and not exclusion. So we want to not only
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  Speaker 3: be seen in our community. We went our community to
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  Speaker 3: walk with us, because this is a journey that we're
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  Speaker 3: all on, whether it's improving better health outcomes, you know,
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  Speaker 3: or whether it's community relationships. One of the things I've
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  Speaker 3: been doing with Kindness Shake is going down and when
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  Speaker 3: we have international people and I'll do a free welcome
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  Speaker 3: the country for them, you know, and I'll be mixing
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  Speaker 3: in with them, and I want them to feel at
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  Speaker 3: home the way the Lariccier people feel at home. So
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  Speaker 3: whether you're Laricicier, whether you're Aboriginal, whether you're non Aboriginal,
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  Speaker 3: or whether you're nearly a rival. You know, I always
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  Speaker 3: saying my welcome to country. We all walk on the
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  Speaker 3: same land and we all live under the same sky.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, you do absolutely amazing welcome to countries, and you know,
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  Speaker 1: I think it's so important that you know that everybody
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  Speaker 1: obviously feels welcome as well, because mate, there is so
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  Speaker 1: much on. You've got some phenomenal events lined up for
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  Speaker 1: the week.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah. Oh you should see Mike Calender talks. This is
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  Speaker 3: one of the busiest reasons like Christmas, but for a
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  Speaker 3: week for.
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  Speaker 1: Me, yeah, it looks like it's going to be so busy.
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  Speaker 1: What I love though as well, is that these you know,
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  Speaker 1: some stuff in the schools as well, school Nadoc Week events,
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  Speaker 1: which I reckons so important.
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  Speaker 3: And that's what we need to do. We also need
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  Speaker 3: to get the schools involved, We need to get the
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  Speaker 3: organizations involved. There's a lot of also other Larochie people
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  Speaker 3: and other non Larochier people out there working in our
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  Speaker 3: community to raise the awareness around Nadock. You know, some
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  Speaker 3: of the things I spoke about yesterday was the Nadok March.
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  Speaker 3: Nadov actually turned fifty this year, but so has the
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  Speaker 3: Larochee nation flag, and so has the Larochie petition to
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  Speaker 3: the Queen. So these are important points that our community
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  Speaker 3: should be aware of because this is more reason for
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  Speaker 3: us to participate.
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  Speaker 2: Richard, what's the Larochie petition to the Queen?
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  Speaker 3: So in ninete seventy two, the Larachiir made a land
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  Speaker 3: petition asking for land to be returned to the Larakiir
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  Speaker 3: and there was one thousand or so signatures on it.
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  Speaker 3: And I'll see the petition, and that actually was they
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  Speaker 3: were trying to bring that between before the Queen who
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  Speaker 3: was visiting Darwin and it was actually ripped by one
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  Speaker 3: of the police officers and so unfortunately it never got
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  Speaker 3: to make the light of day. But the fact that
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  Speaker 3: even recently it's spun. I was talking about the flag
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  Speaker 3: turning fifty, the Larachie flag has got the bangiantry on it,
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  Speaker 3: and also the Larochie petition turning fifty as well, those
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  Speaker 3: things that were turning fifty. So it's fresh in my mind.
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  Speaker 3: But I actually wondered how much of our community was
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  Speaker 3: aware of these other things that were turned fifty, and
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  Speaker 3: so we should be sharing this information in our community.
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  Speaker 3: So especially if people don't know where to start or
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  Speaker 3: where they or whether they can start or join in
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  Speaker 3: with NATO, come and do it, because every learning journey
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  Speaker 3: has a first step. So come and be a part
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  Speaker 3: of this. Come and be a part of our celebrations.
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  Speaker 3: Come and be a part of our community, because we
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  Speaker 3: as Aboriginal people are going into your multicultural festivals that
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  Speaker 3: we're representing, and we want to see that there's always
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  Speaker 3: to reciprocal exchange, you know, so people are more than
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  Speaker 3: welcome and you know, we're a very welcoming place.
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  Speaker 2: Darlin yeah, we absolutely are.
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  Speaker 1: And you know, like you said, we are so multicultural,
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  Speaker 1: and you hit the nail on the head. I think
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  Speaker 1: the more that we can all come together, the better
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  Speaker 1: it is. You know, we live in such a multicultural place.
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  Speaker 1: It is such a wonderful place. But yeah, if we
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  Speaker 1: can all get together, particularly for night or g week,
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  Speaker 1: what a great time to do.
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  Speaker 3: So yeah, I think that's the ingredient of being Australians,
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  Speaker 3: recognizing that we are diverse, you know, but also acknowledging that.
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  Speaker 3: And I'll say that in my speeches that we're territory.
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  Speaker 3: They wear Australians and they wear countrymen, and then I
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  Speaker 3: goes by I love it.
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  Speaker 2: I love it.
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  Speaker 1: Oh mate, you those like I said, you know, those
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  Speaker 1: speeches that you that you obviously do, but also the
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  Speaker 1: welcome to countries they are there.
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  Speaker 2: They are fantastic in my view.
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  Speaker 1: But what I love is, you know the way that
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  Speaker 1: you You're always trying to bring the community together, and
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  Speaker 1: I think that that's such an important thing to do.
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  Speaker 2: So Richard, we really appreciate your time this morning.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you,