NAIDOC Week

Mr SZAKACS (Cheltenham) (15:56): I also rise to briefly contribute to this adjournment debate to note and recognise NAIDOC Week. In doing so, I recognise that parliament gathers and meets today on the traditional lands of the Kaurna people. I pay my respects to elders past, present and emerging, particularly all members of both this place and the other place of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent.

NAIDOC Week is a very important week for South Australia, at a community level as well as at a sporting and community club level. On the weekend, I had the pleasure to present an Aboriginal flag to Woodville District Cricket Club. They along with their opponent on the day, West Torrens, marked the day with a very special Acknowledgement of Country by B-grade player Liam Connors, who is also of Aboriginal descent. On that day, I joined with players of both sides in a ceremony where we took our shoes off and were barefoot on the pitch on Kaurna land to recognise the very important lived continuous cultural heritage of Kaurna people on that land of 50,000 years.

I would like to pay special thanks to the chairman of the club, Tim Pillion, and president of the club, Sean Connors, who flew the Aboriginal flag very proudly that day and will be flying the Aboriginal flag over the clubrooms at Woodville Oval all week. I am informed that it may just be the first time in the history of the club, keeping in mind this club was formed in 1874. So, for the first time since 1874, the Aboriginal flag is flying proudly over the Woodville District Cricket Club clubrooms and, in doing so, I congratulate the club profoundly on their recognition of this week.