Wee Waa Local Aboriginal Lands Council hosted its popular Family Fun Day again this year at Dangar Park on July 11 to mark NAIDOC Week, with the support of Narrabri and District Community Aid Service and Whitehaven Coal.
The free event kicked off at 10am with plenty of entertainment on offer from DJ Luke Combo to children’s activities and a creative table organised by the Wee Waa Community Arts and Cultural Centre.
Attendees were treated to a barbecue, woodfire pizza, tea and coffee, and some exciting giveaways.
A big bonus at the 2025 event was the opportunity for free health checks and a chance to win an IGA voucher, thanks to the support of the Rural Doctors Network.
Wee Waa Local Aboriginal Land Council chief executive officer Robyn Keeffe said the day was a great success.
“It brings the community together and that’s the main thing, the whole community,” she said.
A major highlight was an exciting collaboration between local business, schools and Aboriginal communities to create a menu of native food pizzas unique to our region.
NAIDOC Week was the first public taste testing and judging of unique native food pizzas developed by local students.
The recipes rival fancy big city restaurants but all have a strong connection to the region, and were cooked professionally by local business Chef B Woodfired Pizza.
The winning pizza will be announced by Gary Mehigan of Chanel 7s MasterChef on August 30 at the regional food and wine festival NOSH Narrabri.
Six schools in northwest NSW are competing: Wee Waa High School, Wee Waa Public School, Narrabri High School, Goodooga Central School, Lightning Ridge Central School and Gunnedah Public School, representing both Gamilaraay and Yuwaalaraay language groups.
This project is led by the Wee Waa Local Aboriginal Land Council and funded by the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal.
The public had the chance to taste the pizzas for free and see the box artwork at the NAIDOC Family Day Celebration in Wee Waa on July 11 and again at NOSH Narrabri in August.
The challenge for the students was not focused on cooking but rather learning about plants and animal foods that are native to northwest NSW.
For this, each school worked with Aboriginal knowledge holders in their town to spot the plants and animals on Country and learn their names in Gamilaraay or Yuwaalaraay.
For example, students from year 5 and 6 at Wee Waa Public School have planted native foods in the LALC greenhouse, ground native flour using both traditional and modern tools, set up a camera trap for wildlife, and more.
Chef B also visited each school to talk about wood fired cooking, their career journey, and help students refine their recipe ideas.
The final pizzas included ingredients such as kangaroo (bandarr) salami, fried ruby saltbush (burra), yabbies (bugali), crushed bush tomatoes (gumi), native millet (guli) flour, and much more goodness.
Students also had to name their entry and draw a design to go on the pizza box which tells the story of the food.
The artwork on the pizza boxes includes hand drawn, painted and digital graphics, with an impressive collection of images and symbols.
The competition has brought together students, local Aboriginal knowledge holders and the food industry, illustrated local career pathways, built resilience amongst the community and increased knowledge of the value of local foods (both economically, environmentally and socially).
National NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia in the first week of July each year (Sunday to Sunday), to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Australians to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth.
“What was great to see this year was the increased knowledge about Aboriginal culture, especially with the kids and their knowledge of the bush tucker available in their areas,” Robyn Keeffe said.
“And it shows that the bush tucker pizza project has really helped engage and increase the knowledge of school students.
“What Angela (project manager) has done is incredible, she’s just a gem.”
