As a proud Gamilaroi and Dunghutti woman, each year I count down the days to a special week in July . A week some of us refer to as 'Blak Christmas', but you might know better as NAIDOC Week . While we, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, are living, breathing, sometimes fighting for but always proudly representing our culture, 365 days of the year, NAIDOC provides a designated time for our community to come together, pause and celebrate at another level.

For many who work at the grassroots level with community, creating change in their everyday lives, NAIDOC can feel like a moment to come up for air and find strength and energy in how far we've come. READ MORE: Four words Luritja woman Jess Beck is sick of hearing every NAIDOC Week Importantly, especially for the growing knowledge and understanding of non-Indigenous people, NAIDOC provides a greater platform to spotlight First Nations voices and draws attention to the positive and inspiring role models and pioneers across industries. To me, NAIDOC is about truth telling, yes – but it has always mostly been about blak joy.

The start to my 2024 NAIDOC week was unlike any I've experienced before. It kicked off a couple of days before the official celebration and whilst, geographically speaking, I was at the Australian Embassy in Paris, France, diplomatically, I was on 'Australian' land and therefore still Aboriginal country. I was invited to speak on a panel after the screening of a project of mine (which is a story.