Human Resources Advisor Emily Oliphant recently joined Goldfields Community Coordinator Gabby Moran in Laverton for a week of football, food and most importantly a celebration of Indigenous culture.
The NAIDOC events throughout the week were organised by the Pakaanu Aboriginal Corporation who invited the pair to assist over the course of several days.
Wednesday saw the pair visiting schools for some road safety education before getting on their bikes for a bush ride around town as part of the cultural awareness day on Thursday.
The next two days were all football, with Friday being an interschool football carnival and Saturday being the senior football carnival both organised and run by the Stephen Michael Foundation.
The pair assisted with setting up, umpiring, and scoring games throughout both carnivals, and Moran was thrilled to have a Perth based staff member on board for the week and be part of the cultural celebration for many people within her region.
“The Laverton community takes a lot of pride in their NAIDOC week events and it’s well known that they put a lot of effort into it,” Moran said.
“For them to make it such a big event that the community and surrounding towns get involved is really important and you could see there were so many people who had come from across the Goldfields region to be part of this cultural week.
“It was a good opportunity for someone outside the Community and Game Development department who doesn’t travel as often as we do to experience some of the work the community team does across regional WA.”
Oliphant praised all involved with organising the week and inviting her into their community, and highlighted the importance of the work West Coast Eagles regional staff do to engage with communities across WA.
“It was incredible to be a part of the cultural immersion activities and hearing about the rich history of the land and region,” she said.
“Everyone was there to help out where we could and make the celebrations throughout the week run smoothly. There were people from all walks of life, so it wasn’t just a celebration of Indigenous culture but also a celebration of all cultures.
“Seeing the amazing work our Community and Game Development team does regionally firsthand was such an awesome experience, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to be part of what was a special week.”
The West Coast Eagles would like to thank our Youth Engagement Partner BHP, Pakaanu Aboriginal Corporation, Stephen Michael Foundation, the Shire of Laverton and the entire Laverton community for immersing staff members in the celebrations throughout the week.
