On Thursday 10 July, Evolution Mining’s Cowal Gold Operations recognised 50 years of NAIDOC Week with a whole of site celebration and the Wiradjuri Condobolin Corporation (WCC).
This year’s theme, The Next Generation: Strength, Vision and Legacy, celebrated achievements of the past and the bright future ahead empowered by the strength of our young leaders, the vision of our communities, and the legacy of our ancestors.
In the spirit of this year’s theme, the event incorporated both youth and elders and featured:
• WCC’s language teacher Marion Packham addressed the workforce and explained the importance of NAIDOC Week followed by a Welcome to Country in both Wiradjuri and English. Marion was joined by her son Errol, who is a Processing Trainee at Cowal. Errol performed an Acknowledgement of Country in Wiradjuri and English.
• The Gilari Girls Dance Group performed two dances.
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• WCC CEO Ally Coe addressed the audience.
• Elder Bev Coe created a custom artwork for the occasion and employees had the opportunity to put their handprint on the piece.
Cowal General Manager, Joe Mammen, said, it was wonderful to host the WCC to Cowal to celebrate 50-years of NAIDOC Week.
"It was particularly meaningful to have both youth and Elders in attendance to create a cultural immersion experience for our teams," he said.
“Cowal has a strong history of engaging with our Indigenous Partners to create opportunities for Wiradjuri Peoples across the communities in which we operate.
"This includes employing Indigenous People and currently Cowal employs 7.5 per cent of the workforce who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander."
The day concluded with the Gilari Girls Dance Group doing a tour of the pit to gain an understanding of career opportunities in mining.
