Celebrating NAIDOC Week 2025: Honouring Culture, Legacy and the Next Generation
This NAIDOC Week, we're celebrating more than just a date on the calendar—it's a national moment to honour the culture, resilience and strength of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The 2025 theme, "The Next Generation: Strength, Vision and Legacy," captures the powerful spirit of Indigenous youth and leaders shaping the future while standing on the deep-rooted legacy of their ancestors.
This year, journalist and Wayilwan storyteller Laura Murphy-Oates took the mic on ABC’s News Time for a special NAIDOC edition, introducing us to incredible young change-makers. From artists to firefighters, environmentalists to athletes, these stories showcase the deep pride, connection to culture, and the determination carried forward by the next generation.
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One of the standout stories is of Jeremy Morgan Worrall, a Ngarbal Gamilaraay artist whose stunning piece "Ancestral Lines" was selected as the official NAIDOC Week 2025 poster. His artwork features five vibrant figures, each representing different generations connected by songlines and ancestral knowledge. It's a visual celebration of cultural continuity and strength passed through time.
Then there's Arlene, a proud Kuku-Thaypan, Kuku Yalanji and Kuku-Possum woman who’s broken barriers in Queensland as a volunteer firefighter. Despite facing discrimination early on, Arlene continued her service with courage and pride. Her sister-in-law and others have since joined the brigade, bringing traditional land management methods like cultural burning into modern fire practices. Their work shows how Indigenous knowledge isn't just history—it's vital for the future.
In New South Wales, Gamilaraay and Wiradjuri man Daryn McKenny made an unexpected discovery—a colony of nearly 300 koalas in the Sugarloaf Conservation Area. What started with a single sighting turned into a conservation breakthrough. Daryn’s local knowledge, combined with modern research tools, is helping protect an endangered species. His story reminds us of the powerful synergy between traditional understanding and scientific collaboration.
Meanwhile, in Queensland, young athletes are participating in the first NAIDOC Little Athletics holiday program—an inspiring blend of sport and culture. Led by Larissa Chambers, a proud Jarowair, Wakka Wakka and Turrbal woman, the event connects athletic movement to traditional practices like hunting and gathering. It’s a fresh way to show kids that their cultural heritage and modern pursuits go hand in hand.
And walking the talk—literally—is Travis Lovett, a Kerrupmara Gunditjmara man who’s part of the Yoorrook Justice Commission. Travis walked 500 kilometers from Gunditjmara country to Naarm (Melbourne) on a “Walk for Truth,” speaking with communities along the way to collect stories of colonisation and resilience. His journey is a powerful act of truth-telling—an essential step toward reconciliation and justice.
NAIDOC Week isn’t just about celebration; it’s about acknowledgment, storytelling, and envisioning a future built on respect, strength, and shared history. Whether you’re learning a new word in Wayilwan, painting at school, watching athletics or attending a local event—every moment is a chance to walk forward together.
So, let’s honour the legacy, support the vision, and uplift the strength of the next generation this NAIDOC Week.
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