The 2025 Cooktown Community NAIDOC March and Barbecue. Photo: Supplied.
Cook Shire is preparing for a big NAIDOC Week this year – and organisers are keen to involve as many community members in the expanded program of events as possible.
This year’s NAIDOC Week program from 5 – 12 July is one of the biggest in recent years and features many diverse new additions, according to Cook Shire Council.
Events celebrating the strength, resilience and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people include cultural workshops, family activities and community celebrations.
The Cooktown NAIDOC Committee, led by Gungarde Community Centre and supported by local organisations and community partners, has developed a program spanning the school holidays and NAIDOC Week itself to boost participation from all ages.
This year’s march will finish with a breakfast barbecue at Cooktown Lions Park. Photo: Supplied.
One highlight is the NAIDOC March from 9 am on 10 July. The march will assemble at Gungarde Community Centre and head up Charlotte Street to Lions Park. Schools, businesses, community organisations and sporting clubs will join in the colourful celebrations.
This year’s NAIDOC Week theme is ’50 Years of Deadly’, which recognises five decades of amplifying First Nations voices, cultures and achievements.
Participants can get creative and prizes will be awarded in four categories: Deadliest Banner, Individual, Family and Deadliest Mobility Scooter.
The march will finish at Cooktown Lions Park, where there will be a free breakfast barbecue at the Community Day event featuring stalls, cultural activities, live entertainment, a fishing competition and more.
NAIDOC Week will also include the Elders Lunch on 8 July, which offers a special chance to honour the cultural knowledge, leadership and lifelong contributions of individuals.
Guests will enjoy lunch, entertainment, games, lucky door prizes and a great opportunity to reconnect with friends.
Check out Cook Shire Council’s website for the full NAIDOC Week program.
