The annual Musgrave Park Family Fun Day took place on Friday, July 12, 2024, marking its 30th anniversary. Musgrave Park Family Fun Day is a highlight of NAIDOC Week in Meanjin (Brisbane).
Musgrave Park Family Fun Day is an invaluable opportunity to connect and engage with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities of South East Queensland and beyond and attracts a diverse crowd, including Indigenous and non-Indigenous community members, with attendance numbers exceeding 20,000 throughout the day.
NAIDOC Family Fun Day featured live entertainment and activities showcasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture through performing arts, education, traditional foods and arts and crafts.
This year's NAIDOC week theme, Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud celebrates the unyielding spirit of our communities and invites all to stand in solidarity, amplifying the voices that have long been silenced. "Blak, Loud and Proud" encapsulates the unapologetic celebration of Indigenous identity, empowering us to stand tall in our heritage and assert our place in the modern world. This theme calls for a reclamation of narratives, an amplification of voices, and an unwavering commitment to justice and equality.
During the event, the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health hosted a stall, engaging with the community and sharing information about our research projects, including the Young Deadly Free project. This project, led by Professor James Ward, aims to increase sexually transmissible infections (STIs) and blood-borne viruses (BBV) testing and treatment rates among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people across Australia by developing engaging, culturally appropriate resources for young people, clinicians, and community stakeholders.
A significant contribution this year was the generous donation of 1,000 condoms by HERO Condoms to the Young Deadly Free project. This donation allowed the Poche Centre team to distribute free condoms at the event, promoting safe sexual practices and addressing health inequities within Indigenous communities. HERO Condoms and the Poche Centre share a vision of ensuring sexual and reproductive healthcare is safe and accessible. The transformational potential of HERO's one-for-one donation initiative aims to create a fair and equal society through improved sexual and reproductive healthcare. HERO has already donated over 11,600 condoms to Poche Centre research projects this year, with a goal to donate 30,000 condoms by the end of the year.
The Young Deadly Free project aims to raise awareness of STIs and BBVs, so that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people can make informed choices about their sexual health and wellbeing. By promoting condom use, the project seeks to prevent STIs, HIV, unplanned pregnancies, and BBVs, thereby improving health equity in the communities where our teams are working. Achieving better health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait communities is possible when these communities lead the way in driving research and health initiatives.
The Musgrave Park Family Fun Day was a vibrant celebration of the rich heritage and unyielding spirit of Indigenous communities, and we were thrilled to be a part of it. The energy and spirit of the day emphasised the importance of health promotion and the power of partnerships in driving positive change. We can't wait to return next year and continue supporting this incredible event.
