Tue. Nov 5th, 2024
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Black excellence and community leadership were honoured at the 2023 National NAIDOC Week Awards in Brisbane on Saturday.

Folks were dressed to impress at the 2023 NAIDOC Ball where 10 winners were recognised for their triumphs and life-changing contributions, with a trailblazer from the health sector taking the top award.

The referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament was also on the night’s agenda.

Rachel Perkins, who took home the Creative Talent Award, used her acceptance speech to urge Australians to vote ‘yes’ in the referendum later this year.

“Can I also pay respect to Linda Burney, Minister of Indigenous Australians,” Ms Perkins said during her speech.

“(And) Pat Anderson, elder of the year last year — these two women are leading us with the Uluru Statement from the Heart and leading the country to a ‘Yes’ this year. Stand with us, Australia,” she said.

Ms Perkins is the daughter of civil rights activist and politician Charles Perkins but she blazed her own trail, using her 30-plus year career to truth-tell Australian history that many didn’t hear at school.

The Arrernte and Kalkadoon woman adds her NAIDOC gong to an existing large shelf of awards including a TV Week Logie Award and an Australian Writers and Directors Guild Award.

The major award of the evening, the NAIDOC Person of the Year, went to Worimi man Professor Kelvin Kong, who is Australia’s first Indigenous surgeon.

Dr Kong dedicated his award to raising awareness of the devastating rates of middle-ear disease impacting First Nations people.()

“I’m accepting this award on the back of terrible ear statistics, I’m ashamed of that,” the ear, nose and throat surgeon said in his acceptance speech.

“But I don’t want to dwell on some of the horrible statistics of some of the operations I do — I’d rather dwell on some of the happier successes.”

Outside of his job at John Hunter Hospital on Awabakal country, Dr Kong spends time in remote areas where patients battle with long waiting lists and a shortage of specialists.

Middle-ear disease is impacting more than 50 per cent of First Nations children living in remote communities.

“Our culture, it is so wonderful,” Dr Kong continued in his speech.

“For our Elders who have done so much for us — I stand here before you because of the opportunities you gave to us and it is so pleasing to be here representing what you’ve done.”

“I look forward to having a dance tonight with everyone on the dance floor.”

This year’s award finalists were whittled down from a pool of almost 200 nominees.

Minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney, attended the event and presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Aunty Dr Naomi Mayers OAM.

Aunty Dr Naomi Mayers has been a pioneer for First Nations people dedicating her life to her community.()

Dr Mayers’s life began on the Erambie Mission in central News South Wales before training to become a nurse at 18 years old.

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