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Koori challenges Murri as the AHMRC Mindaribba Warriors play their Queensland rivals to see who will be Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander rugby league champions
30 January 2012 – Sydney:
The Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council of New South Wales (AH&MRC) and the Mindaribba Warriors, winners of the 2011 NSW Aboriginal Rugby League Knockout, are teaming up to raise awareness about Aboriginal Health as part of the 2012 Indigenous All Stars Festival.
To be held on the eve of the 2012 Harvey Norman Rugby League All Stars match at Skilled Park, the 2012 Indigenous All Stars Festival will celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation in Rugby League with an all-day event held at Miami, Gold Coast on February 3, culminating in the best Indigenous Club players coming together for the inaugural National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation -NACCHO Deadly Choices Interstate Challenge.
The NACCHO Deadly Choices Interstate Challenge will see the AH&MRC-sponsored Mindaribba Warriors play their counterparts from Queensland, the Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council (QAIHC) Southern Dingoes at 7.30pm on February 3 at Burleigh Bears’ Bob Singh Oval, with the winning team to be crowned Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander champions.
The festival commences at 10am and will feature family entertainment including stage-led activities, performances and storytelling, music, street theatre, local Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander art, and junior league clinics. A number of health organisations, including the AH&MRC, will also be on hand to provide health awareness information.
“Sports like rugby league have an important role to play in promoting positive messages about Aboriginal health, leading to a better quality of life and longer life expectancy for Aboriginal people,” said Rodger Williams, Chief Operations Officer of the AH&MRC.
This is a view shared by Ronald Griffiths, coach of the AHMRC Mindaribba Warriors.
“The life expectancy gap between Aboriginal and non Aboriginal people will not decrease if we don’t take matters into our own hands, regular health checks through your local AMS in conjunction with a healthy lifestyle can help increase our life expectancy. The health checks also set a good example for our elders and children and raise awareness amongst the wider Aboriginal community to be healthy be deadly”.
The NACCHO Deadly Choices Interstate Challenge brings together the two winning teams from the New South Wales (Koori) and Queensland (Murri) Indigenous Knockout carnivals held in October and September 2011 respectively. Eighty-two teams from around NSW played in the competition, which was held over days in October 2011 at Carrington Park in Bathurst, with the Maitland-based AHMRC Mindaribba Warriors emerging as the victors.
This year’s Indigenous All Stars team consists of local and national Rugby League stars voted by over 15,000 fans who cast their ballots online. Captain Johnathan Thurston from the Queensland Cowboys will be joined by NRL superstars including Greg Inglis (Rabbitohs) and Justin Hodges (Broncos), as well as young guns Chris Sandow (Eels), Nathan Peats (Rabbitohs) and Andrew Fifita (Sharks), who will be making their debut in an exciting Indigenous All Stars line-up that features 10 players with Test experience.
The NACCHO Deadly Choices Interstate Challenge will be televised nationally on NITV at 7:30pm on February 3.
Tickets for the game are available through Ticketek.
For more information about the AH&MRC please visit our website at www.ahmrc.org.au or contact Matthew Rodgers, Media and Communications Officer, at mrodgers@ahmrc.org.au or (02) 9212 4777
For more information on the AHMRC Mindaribba Warriors please contact Ronald Griffiths (Coach) on (02) 4015 1134

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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists are invited to submit artworks for the ALS 40th Anniversary Poster Competition to celebrate our 40th Anniversary this year.

The winning artwork will collect a $2000 cash prize.
Entry Form attached. Poster entries close 15 August 2011

Aboriginal activists and lawyers established the Aboriginal Legal Service in 1970. It was staffed by volunteers providing free legal advice and representation to Aboriginal people in inner-Sydney.

In 1971, Aboriginal Legal Service received its first Government grant for the salaries of a full time solicitor, a field officer and a secretary.

Aboriginal Legal Service was Australia’s first free legal service, setting the model for mainstream community legal aid.

In 2011, Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT) commemorates 40 years of service to the Aboriginal community.

The ALS 40th Anniversary Poster Competition is a chance for talented Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists in NSW and ACT to be recognised by a local and national audience.

The winning artwork will be used to create our ALS 40th Anniversary Poster 2011 which will help promote our 40th anniversary events being held in 2011.

Would you like to see your artwork become the ALS 40th Anniversary Poster?

The winning artwork will collect a $2000 cash prize. Your artwork must reflect the Aboriginal Legal Service and its 40 year history and survival.

All poster competition entries must be accompanied by the entry form. Download Entry Form (PDF)

Learn more about WAMS 25th Anniversary Celebrations.

Koori Radio 93.7FM invites Australia To celebrate Yabun on 26 January 2011

Koori Radio 93.7FM proudly invites Sydney and Australia to celebrate the survival of Aboriginal cultures at the Yabun Festival in Victoria Park on 26 January 2011.

Now in its ninth year, Yabun is Australia’s premiere one-day festival of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture presenting the best in music, dance, sport and so much more.

Yabun’s best ever line-up of musical talent includes legendary Wilma Reading, Casey Donovan, The Stiff Gins, Nekrofeist, The Medics, Stunna Set, Indigenous Intrudaz, Microwave Jenny, Krista Pav, Yarramundi Puppets and many more.

There will be performances and workshops in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance, with the Doonooch Dancers and Urban Zenadth Kes. The energetic Youth Stage will reveal the new generation of Aboriginal dancers to watch out for in 2011.

The Kids Zone will be packed with storytelling, puppets, performances, arts and crafts. Fitkids Australia will present a program of fun activities focusing on healthy and active lifestyles for youngsters including Mini Olympics and Gladiator Boot Camp.

For art and craft lovers, there will be demonstrations and works for sale plus so much more to experience among the community and food stalls.

Culture and politics will be the focus in the Speak Out and Kulture Tents with presentations including the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples and Generation One.

Steve Miller Chairperson of Gadigal Information Service, home to Koori Radio 93.7FM, says:

“Yabun is our major annual event which presents everything that is great about Koori Radio 93.7FM. Thanks to our sponsors, it’s a thank you to all our supporters and the broader community and the family atmosphere makes it a day to catch up with friends and make new ones. It’s a great line up of entertainment this year and for the first time we are presenting performers from our Gadigal Music label including Stiff Gins, Nekrofeist and Stunna Set.”

Tune into Koori Radio 93.7FM for the live broadcast on the day and around the country on the National Indigenous Radio Service. Follow us on Facebook at Koori Radio 93.7FM.

Yabun is a no alcohol event and admission to Victoria Park is free. Victoria Park is at the intersection of City and Parramatta Roads Camperdown, adjoining Sydney University.

Media Contact: Miah Wright – 02) 9384 4015/0401 322 316 or miah.wright@gadigal.org.au

More Information (PDF)

Freedom Ride Map (PDF)

Youth Connections are looking at taking 30 kids along in a bus (20 Aboriginal and 10 non Indigenous)  who are all studying Aboriginal History in their HSC. The journey will be documented and heritage listed so we would like as much Aboriginal organisation and community support as we can get to meet the kids when they pass through town or have stop overs.  Youthconnections will also be  inviting those who attended the original trip at no cost to them as this would be an honour to have them take the journey with us.

We are trying to contact Aboriginal organisations in all stops to let you know get your advice and guidance on this journey.  We would like assistance in accommodation suggestions  where we could stay either at School Halls since these are school kids and is apart of their HSC  or at camping or in local church’s that would like to donate some space for night or two.

Stops will be made in (MAP ATTACHED):

·         Starting in Sydney on 12th February
·         Orange – February 13th  lunch
·         Wellington – February 13th – afternoon tea – Survey Conducted
·         Dubbo – February 13th  - dinner  - overnight stay
·         Gulargambone – 14th February  - Survey Conducted
·         Walgett – 14-16 February  - 2 night stay  - Survey Conducted
·         Collarenebri – 16th February  - Morning Tea
·         Moree – February 16-17  - 2 night stay first round and then another night on February 20th
·         Boggabilla – February 18th  - Survey conducted  - lunch
·         Warwick – February 18th  - overnight stay
·         Tenterfield – February 19th  -
·         Glen Innes – February 19th  -
·         Inverell – February 19th  -
·         Grafton – February 21st
·         Lismore – February 22 – 23rd – overnight stay
·         Coffs Harbour – February 23rd – overnight stay
·         Bowraville – February 24th – survey conducted  -
·         Kempsey – February 24th -25th  Survey conducted- overnight stay
·         Taree – February 25th  - overnight stay
·         Newcastle – February 26th  - lunch
·         Finish back in Sydney on February 26th .

We need help with contacts for Aboriginal Organisations and local contacts for each stop including:

·         Aboriginal Elders for a welcome to country at each stop.
·         Elders groups
·         Local  Aboriginal men’s groups
·         Local Aboriginal women’s groups
·         Aboriginal Youth Services and Youth Groups
·         TAFE, Universities, Schools
·         AECG
·         Aboriginal Land Councils
·         Aboriginal Legal Services
·         Aboriginal Community Justice Groups
·         Circle Sentencing
·         Local Councils
·         Local Aboriginal Police
·         Local government services
·         Aboriginal Community Organisations
·         Other organisations people think we should involve.

If you can help us out in any way with so please contact the Koori Connect unit of Youth Connections on 02 4350 2600

or email:

Denise Markam  - denise@youthconnections.com.au
Kylie Cassidy  - kylie@youthconnections.com.au
Gavi Duncan – gavi@youthconnections.com.au
Bobbi Cattermole – bobbi@youthconnections.com.au 

Your help is greatly appreciated.

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