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Days of significance

^{Waverley College students working on their National Reconciliation Week art project with Waverley Council}

There are a number of culturally significant dates that celebrate or recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and culture.

Sorry Day

Sorry Day marks the anniversary of the Bringing Them Home report and its presentation to Parliament on the 26 May, 1997. This report formally acknowledged the policies practised by previous governments from the late 1800s to the 1970s, which resulted in the forcible removal of thousands of Aboriginal children from their families and communities.

National Reconciliation Week

National Reconciliation Week begins on 27 May, marking the anniversary of the 1967 referendum. The outcome of the 1967 referendum resulted in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people gaining the right to vote and be counted in the census.

It ends on the anniversary of the outcome of the Mabo legal case on 3 June, 1992. The Mabo Case was successful in overturning the myth that at the time of colonisation Australia was ‘terra nullius’ (land belonging to no one).

In 2024, Council collaborated with Waverley College on a Reconciliation Week art project. Students in the Walawaani program worked together across several weeks to create a beautiful street banner in response to the theme, ‘Now More Than Ever’.

NAIDOC Week

NAIDOC stands for 'National Aboriginies and Islanders Day Observance Committee'. The origin of the week can be traced to the emergence of Aboriginal activism groups in the 1920s, who sought to increase awareness in the wider community of the status and treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Taking place on the first week of July (Sunday to Saturday) each year, NAIDOC Week is a celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and an opportunity to recognise the contributions of First Nations people in various fields.

Council organises a program of events and activities across the week and all community members are encouraged to participate.

Find out more at National NAIDOC Week celebrations held across Australia.

Other days of significance

• Survival Day, 26 January – A day for acknowledging the British invasion of sovereign First Nations lands. Waverley holds a Dawn Reflection to honour the nation’s Traditional Custodians.
• The National Apology, 13 February – Anniversary of the former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's apology to Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
• Harmony Day, 21 March – International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
• National Close the Gap Day, third Thursday in March – Campaign for Indigenous health equality.
• Mabo Day, 3 June – Anniversary of the High Court’s decision, led by Eddie Mabo, which overturned the legal fiction of terra nullius and recognised Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the original custodians of this land.
• National Aboriginal and Islander Children's Day, 4 August – Communal celebration of the birthdays of the Stolen Generations.
• International Day of the World’s Indigenous People, 9 August – To raise awareness around the needs and rights of Indigenous groups.
• Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, 13 September – Anniversary of the historic United Nations Declaration in 2007.

Find out what’s happening across Waverley, including talks, screenings and activities for kids, by browsing our Events and seeing what’s on at Bondi Pavilion.

For more information, email diversity@waverley.nsw.gov.au or call 9083 8000.