Join Elder Greg Simms as he welcomes refugees and newly arrived families to Australia
For the second year, the Blak Markets at Bare Island are holding a cultural welcome ceremony that includes dance performances, arts and craft stalls, weaving and bushfood and halal food. The market opens at 9.30am and official proceedings will start with a welcome to country at 10.30am by Elder Greg Simms. The welcome is extended to refugees and newly arrived Australians, which as CEO of First Hand Solutions Aboriginal Corporation, Peter Cooley, says is because “Aboriginal people are the appropriate people to welcome newly arrived visitors to Australia.”
The day will also be a chance to “Share stories on not only the hardships but the achievements we share with people dispossessed from their land and forced to leave their communities,” he said. The Blak Markets provide economic development opportunities to Indigenous business and employment opportunities for youth.
Entry price onto Bare Island is $2.50 per person, however children under five and refugees are welcomed free of charge.
