Curated by Sunny Luwe
Each year, NAIDOC Week gives us the opportunity to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth. In 2024, the theme of ‘Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud’ invites all to stand in solidarity and celebrate the unyielding spirit of First Nations communities. Singer and proud Wailwan woman Sunny Luwe is here to share her favourite First Nations organisations to support this NAIDOC Week.
Sunny Luwe can trace her heritage back to both Wailwan country, located in regional NSW around Coonamble, and Dutch ancestry. She is a prolific singer and songwriter whose single, We’ve Got The Power – a track she wrote about the terrible rates of native forest logging in Australia – captivated our audiences at the Storyfest Writers’ Festival earlier this year.
Sunny shares some of the incredible Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations and people she knows on the beautiful lands of the Gold Coast/Kombumerri Country – go check them out, and support them this NAIDOC Week!
“First and foremost, NAIDOC Week is a celebration of Blak Excellence. But NAIDOC Week isn’t just for First Nations people: it is a great time to step up, be an ally and learn more about the traditional owners and local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who call this area home. We live in the Yugambeh Language Region – the five river people stretching from Logan to Tweed. Go learn!”
Local First Nations organisations to support
Jellurgal
Go for a guided tour around this beautiful headland (so-called Burleigh Headland) and learn the cultural significance of this place, and many other culturally significant places around here. The Jellurgal Aboriginal Cultural Centre based at the bottom of the headland is the Gold Coast's only dedicated Aboriginal cultural centre and is fully owned and operated by the local Aboriginal community.
Check out the Jellurgal Aboriginal Cultural Centre here!
YRACA
The Yugambeh Regional Aboriginal Corporation Alliance was formed in late 2018 and champions the ambitions of its traditional custodian base and advocates for Yugambeh law and governance. It’s an important corporation with an extensive network of local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses that they support and work closely with across the Gold Coast region.
Find out more about the YRACA here!
Local First Nations artists you should know
The Eurells from Dreamtime Artistry
Located on Griffith Street in Coolangatta, Dreamtime Artistry is an Indigenous-owned business that showcases authentic Indigenous art. Erica Eurell, a Yugambeh and Woolumbijn descendant, sells stunning art pieces and offers workshops. Her two daughters Sophia and Isabella are talented creatives too.
Find out more about Dreamtime Artistry here!
Lann Levinge
A Kombumerri man with a passion for music and language development, Lann Levinge is deeply immersed in the heart of the coast’s creative arts field. An indigenous multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, producer, director and creative designer Lann records and composes soundscapes in his northern Gold Coast studio. Lann was also recently awarded the Department of Education SEQ NAIDOC Elder of the Year. He often accompanies his talented daughter Kiara Levinge, and the pair performed at Storyfest earlier this year.
Find songs and more from Lann Levinge here!
The Slabbs
The Slabbs are a talented creative family of traditional custodians. You have most likely heard of Budjerah, the 22-year old ARIA-winning musician who opened for Ed Sheeran on his most recent tour of Australia, or Blackline the Band, who recently played at the BLEACH and Underground Festival.
Both are incredible, frequently performing on these lands and surrounds. Last year I was lucky enough to play a NAIDOC Week Sofar Sounds with Jarulah Slabb and Kelsey Iris – both amazing performers.
Other First Nations artists to follow
Other local Indigenous musicians and wordsmiths include Loki Liddle (a proud Jabirr Jabirr man) and Reece Bowden Smith (a proud Anaiwan man) of indie-psych band Selve; Eleea who was a finalist for the Indigenous Queensland Music Award; and EBC (East Coast Brotherhood) who recently did Bars of Steel on Triple J.
Wildheart are heavy rockers who were nominated for a Gold Coast Music Award last year, and Cold Ghost aka Fletcher Babb recently released an album, Red Gold, inspired by the Nerang River.
Local visual artist Brad Turner (of Bundjalung nation) has had his works featured on The Block and recently collaborated with Adairs and Princess Polly. Lisa Sorbie Martin is an incredible visual artist working across mediums who has her works featured in our local gallery at HOTA. Lystra Rose (of Guugu, Yimithirr, Birri Gubba, Erub/Mua descent) is an award-winning writer who won the 2023 Ethel Turner Prize and many more, for her novel, The Upwelling.
“These are just a few of the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander creatives who call these lands home, and I encourage you to actively support these people. Shop at their business, engage them for performances, workshops, speaking, and do so in a respectful and fair manner.
“We need more allies and accomplices to change the narrative of our nation and for our people, however we need engagement in a respectful and meaningful way.
“Summer May Finlay (a proud Yorta Yorta woman) wrote an article which was shared by staunch First Nations advocate, Clothing The Gaps: give it a read and see where you stand!”
