By KATIE DE VERTEUIL
HUNDREDS flocked to Noosaville Lions Park on Tuesday to share in this year’s Booin Gari Festival.
Hosted by United Synergies the local event is now in its eight year, and is a celebration of indigenous culture and heritage on the Sunshine Coast. It was however the first time at the picture perfect Lions Park venue by Noosa River, which drew the largest crowd to date.
With a rich range of activities on land and water for the whole community to enjoy, residents and tourists alike joined in the vibrant celebrations. From indigenous musical talents to gratitude rock painting and Pikki Bean canoe craft, storytelling and kangaroo burgers, there really was something for everyone.
The Buoyed Up children’s sailing program was afloat on the river, with children able to come and try their hand at sailing. A wide range of support services also provided displays.
United Synergies CEO Christopher John said Booin Gari provided an opportunity for young aboriginal people and families to come together to celebrate their culture, while sharing it with the broader Sunshine Coast community.
“The key purpose of the event is to provide an annual forum for celebration, connection, engagement and sharing of knowledge, history and culture amongst community members,” he said.
“It provides a valuable opportunity to connect non-indigenous and indigenous young people, families and service providers in a respectful and positive environment.”
The event is now entrenched as an annual event on the Sunshine Coast calendar with attendance numbers continuing to grow each year.
Sharing his culture on Tuesday was local Guppi Guppi man Lyndon Davis. Clearly enthusiastic about the event, which he has been involved in since its beginnings, Mr Davis said the celebration had become a key date on his calendar.
“There is a large indigenous population on the coast and for most of us the only time we get together is for NAIDOC (National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee), family gatherings and funerals,” Lyndon said.
“We really wanted a day of celebration were we could come together and share our culture, not only with the non-indigenous of our community, but with younger generations of aborigines who may not have been passed on the traditions of their community.”
Mr Davis said that for him, the day was all about sharing the knowledge of his people.
“I’m obligated to share my story and the story of my people,” Mr Davis said.
“We all are, it is part of who we are – passing on local knowledge to anyone who will listen.
“We want as many people as possible to see this environment in which we live, as beautiful and resourceful as we saw it and continue to see it.”
Mr Davis said that while there is still a road to reach reconciliation, events like Booin Gari helped to bridge the gap.
“It is only through knowledge that a deeper respect can be gained between cultures.
“I have found that once I start telling stories of our people, it creates a thirst to listen and understand more, to see the world from a different perspective.”
Booin Gari is supported by Noosa Council, Sunshine Coast Medicare Local and The Natural Transformer.
