Students from Hastings Secondary College met at the Westport campus after weeks of preparation for their NAIDOC Week celebration and the opportunity to sing alongside Ms Anu on July 31.

“I am really excited to be here in Port Macquarie. It is a really major event at Hasting Secondary College with a number of awards being given to hard-working Aboriginal leaders in the community as well as a celebration of culture,” Ms Anu said.

“It is amazing how schools all over Australia have adopted NAIDOC Week and it is very special for Indigenous Australia to share our stories and culture with each of our communities.

“Because of Her, We Can is a wonderful theme because women are the backbone of families and to be able to recognise all powerful women and not just the high profile women is very special,” she said.

“So many women are make contributions to our communities and are ambassadors for our culture.

“The theme this year is about coming together and celebrating the women who came before, who are trailblazers and who will become our leaders – the unsung women who are incredible.

“And being acknowledged in a way like a NAIDOC Week theme is one extra step to show what women do matters - that they are important and it is also an affirmation of self belief.  

“When I heard the 2018 theme it took me back and reminded me of all my memories growing up surrounded by women who were inspirational to me – starting with my mother and then my aunties who all shaped the woman I am today.

“I think the most important lesson my mother told me was that it was up to me to make the most of the opportunities presented to me and it is because of her, I can.”

During the performance Ms Anu serenaded students along with invited guests.

She said it was important that Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people came together to celebrate culture and NAIDOC was the perfect avenue for that.

“NAIDOC Week is a week that commemorates every aspect of Indigenous life and culture and celebrating just how long we have been around.

“Every year is an opportunity to get Australia to embrace Indigenous people and Indigenous culture and every NAIDOC Week I have been blessed to visit so many communities and watch them grow and embrace Aboriginal and First Nations people.

“Students and young people are the leaders of tomorrow and I think it is so important that both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people embrace and celebrate our culture and making it a part of everything we do.

“It begins with respect for our land and respect for our culture and it is here for everyone.

“After our celebrations I hope everyone takes away a sense of pride of who we are, what our place is in the community and how we fit into the wider Australian culture.

“And I hope they take away a sense of feeling good about themselves and the future.”