325 First Nations Elders came together on the 6th of December for Aboriginal Community Service’s annual Christmas celebration! After the success of our NAIDOC event earlier this year, the Christmas rendezvous was highly anticipated.
This time we had singer/songwriter Nathan May make his debut in front of Elders, and he did not disappoint! Descendent from the Arabana, Yawuru, and Marridjabin family groups of South Australia and the Northern Territory, Nathan has been called one of Adelaide’s hardest working live performers. Elders enjoyed listening to his contemporary and country tunes that reflect culture, love and language.
In true ACS fashion, tables were adorned with Buds and Blooms flower arrangements that Elders were able to take home with them after. We hope that Elders felt the Christmas spirit in the air, and were able to take a piece of that home with them too.
As usual, there were hugs, laughter, smiles all around, and of course an amazing buffet. Our raffle saw three lucky winners take home a goodie basket, and others taking home Cinema Tickets kindly donated by Hoyts.
Bonny and Irene, two ACS community members who we are excited to announce were married last month, were fortunate to win some of the movie passes. Here comes a date night!
The atmosphere was heightened by the incredibly merry fashion that Elders were sporting. Adorned with tinsel, and complete with Christmas themed earrings, ACS was impressed by the dedication. The absolute standout was the jingly-jangly get-up worn by Elaine Hardie (pictured below), an eye-catching Christmas outfit that she had made herself, complete with a tinsel hat and a crocheted skirt.
ACS is so pleased to have provided an opportunity for Elders from all over the state, with more Christmas parties happening across our regional and remote locations, to gather together and be merry. For many First Nations Elders this year has been challenging, with heavy discourse in the media and in everyday conversations. Times like this where Elders can celebrate each other and create special memories is so important, and helps ACS move closer to our vision of supporting the overall wellbeing of Aboriginal communities.
