Across the industry many shopping centres have focussed their efforts on NAIDOC Week, solidifying that shopping centres are a very important platform to generate awareness and amplify the theme of NAIDOC Week.

Under the theme Because of her, we can – NAIDOC Week 2018 commenced nationally last Sunday 8 July and will continue through to Sunday 15 July.

As pillars of our society, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women have played – and continue to play – active and significant roles at the community, local, state and national levels. They are our mothers, our elders, our grandmothers, our aunties, our sisters and our daughters. Sadly, Indigenous women’s role in our cultural, social and political survival has often been invisible, unsung or diminished.

For at least 65,000 years, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women have carried the dreaming stories, songlines, languages and knowledge that have kept their culture strong and enriched us as the oldest continuing culture on the planet. Because of her, we can is such an important theme this year.

Like National Reconcilation Week, Lendlease developed a national communications pack to help celebrate NAIDOC Week 2018 and the contributions that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women have made to our communities and our nation across their shopping centre portfolio.

Lendlease worked with Gilimbaa to develop a creative concept that was an extension of the existing look and feel that was adapted for school holiday activities. The child’s paint handprint has been used to delineate the school holiday activities from initiatives using the existing creative communications pack. Gilimbaa are a full service creative agency specialising in strategic and connected communication. They are driven by the power and process of storytelling and the role this plays in the education and celebration of culture and community. Gilimbaa means ‘today’ in the language of the Wakka Wakka people of Central Queensland.

The message around NAIDOC Week was furthered amplified in-centre activations during July school holiday activities. A few examples of centre activations are:

Settlement City in NSW partnered with Hello Koala’s and have sponsored Nulla with all funds going to the conversation of Koala’s which is great importance in the region. Nulla has been brought to life by artist Elwyn Toby is a descendant of the Thunghutti tribe of Bellbrook in the Macleay Valley. The sculpture’s design depicts imagery from the Thunghutti area, also known as Nulla Nulla.

Nulla’s three friends from leading Indigenous artists will also be showcased at Settlement City during NAIDOC Week.

Cairns Central in QLD hosted a week of entertainment in collaboration with Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF) during Cairns’ NAIDOC week which was the week prior to the national NAIDOC week. CIAF showcased a snippet of their fashion performance at 11am daily and a different traditional dance performance at 1pm each day. Traditional dance performances from:

• Minjil Dancers (from Gimuy area – Cairns)
• Au Segur Dancers – Dances Eastern and Western Island Dancers
• Injinoo Dancers (From Northern Peninsula Region) (NPA)
• Malu Kawai Dancers (Boigu Island)
• Morning Star Dancers (Yarrabah)

Armadale Shopping City in WA teamed up with Djurandi Dreaming’s Justin Martin, Kiara Girls Academy and Cecil Andrews Girls Academy to bring a week full of celebration including:

• Community Canvas with Djurandi Dreaming
• Traditional Dance performed by Kiara Girls Academy
• Pebble Dot Painting workshop with Cecil Andrews Girls Academy

At CS Square in VIC, the centre invited Wayne Quilliam, an award winning Indigenous photographer to host a series of workshops. Wayne will showcase his amazing photos and tell children stories behind the photos. Whilst telling his stories, children will be given a jigsaw puzzle of the photograph to complete with Wayne.

In addition, Lendlease’s commitment to NAIDOC Week will also be showcased through an in-centre digital campaign across 10 of our Regional and Sub Regional Centres as well as an online digital campaign across the portfolio (14 Centres) to promote NAIDOC Week’s theme Because of her, we can!