NAIDOC Week 2024
NAIDOC Week 2024
Cromwell Property Group will be joining across the country to celebrate National NAIDOC Week, 7-14 July.
NAIDOC Week is a time to recognise and celebrate the history, culture, and achievements of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
This year’s theme – Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud – calls for a reclamation of narratives, an amplification of voices, and an unwavering commitment to justice and equality. All Australians are invited to listen, learn, and engage in meaningful dialogue; to foster a society where the wisdom and contributions of Indigenous peoples are fully valued and respected.
More information about NAIDOC Week can be found at naidoc.org.au.
Celebrating NAIDOC Week in our buildings
To mark the occasion, Cromwell has engaged Melbourne-based, Indigenous-owned business Kinya Lerrk to design a vibrant lift installation in some of our buildings nation-wide.
Visual artists Emma Bamblett and Megan Van Den Berg have created a piece called NAIDOC: A celebration of Aboriginal Culture.
NAIDOC: Celebration of Aboriginal Culture
This artwork represents the journey of the firesticks and how they represent the shared learning and strengths of our Communities.
Within the center of the artwork is Bunjil the Wedge Tail Eagle and Waa the Crow soaring across the skies are prominent figures in our creation stories.
To the left and right sides of the artwork is Elders standing in a row. They are guiding, supporting and sharing stories of their dreaming through the line work in the clouds above along with the stars shining in the skies.
The bottom of the artwork is strong curved yellow symbols of Connection to the Land and Country. Above these connections symbols are circles connecting by straight lines. These represent the many communities across the land. The smaller dots represents the people and their important roles they play within their communities.
To the right and left side in the light red sections are yellow circles with straight lines going in different directions. These represent ceremony and times of coming together. They highlight the importance of celebrating culture, traditions and ways of living for Aboriginal communities.
About Kinya Lerrk
KINYA LERRK (Wemba Wemba for ‘women coming together’) is the collaboration of Aboriginal visual artists Emma Bamblett (Wemba Wemba, Gunditjmara, Ngadjonji and Taungurung) and Megan Van Den Berg (Dja Dja Wurrung, Yorta Yorta and Boon Wurrung) who have a strong history of collaboration on design/arts based projects.
Kinya Lerrk focuses on using design and art to make homes and offices come alive with colourful designs which celebrate Aboriginal culture and respectfully acknowledge traditional owners of land.
Kinya Lerrk
www.kinyalerrk.com.au
Retail store: 134 High Street, Preston
Cromwell's Reconciliation journey
As part of our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, including those that uniquely affect Indigenous Australians, Cromwell will continue to collaborate with key voices – both within and outside our organisation. Cromwell strives to provide an inclusive and respectful space for tenants and employees.
We are committed in our continued support of Indigenous-owned businesses, as well as the creation of a sustainable Indigenous business, as we continue our journey towards the development of our first Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan.
In 2022, Cromwell took a step towards fostering a culture of respect and partnership with Indigenous communities by establishing a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) working group.
This group is engaged in developing and implementing a comprehensive RAP and is committed to engaging with staff and leaders to understand the importance of reconciliation. We aim to build meaningful relationships, respect the rich cultural heritage of Indigenous peoples, and create sustainable opportunities.
We are dedicated to supplier diversity and recognise the unique contributions that Indigenous-owned businesses bring to our organisation. As part of this commitment, we aim to allocate approximately 5% of our project commitments to First Nation certified suppliers, consultants, and contractors for our larger projects.
This initiative will foster economic growth within Indigenous communities and aligns with our core values of sustainability and inclusivity
We are committed to providing employees with access to resouces and information to support a deeper understanding and respect for Australian Indigenous cultures and histories.
The RAP working group provided an internal information series for staff to be able to gain further knowledge about The Voice referedum and will be rolling out First Nations training modules in FY25.