Attendees at Stawell Early Learning Centre – now known as Aussie Kindies Early Learning – took part in a range of fun and educational activities on Tuesday.

Michael Alexander, of Black Snake Productions, thrilled the children by bring a selection of animals along from his private zoo.

There were snakes, lizards, insects and even a crocodile for them to pat, followed by a serious discussion about what to do if they come across these potentially harmful animals in their backyard.

In the afternoon, Paul Kelly from Brambuk brought showed the children a selection of items with great significance to Aboriginal people.

These included boomerangs, instruments, food and weapons used to hunt animals.

“The children loved this,” said educator Steph McQueen. “He taught the children how to blow a didgeridoo and how to throw a boomerang.”

NAIDOC originally stood for the National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee.

The committee was once in charge of organising national activities during NAIDOC Week and its acronym has since become the name of the week itself. 

NAIDOC Week is held across Australia every July to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This year’s theme is “Songlines: The living narrative of our nation”, which relates to the importance of the Dreamtime beliefs in Aboriginal culture.