During NAIDOC Week (5 to 12 July 2026) Cook + Phillip Park Pool co-hosted an event on Thursday 9 July with the City of Sydney Youth team and The Girls and Boys Brigade to mark 50 Years of Deadly - celebrating five decades of recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices, traditions and achievements.

Young people, Elders and community organisations came together for a day of storytelling, art, sport and connection. From the BBQ and basketball games to hands-on activities and collaborative artwork, the event celebrated community, resilience and the enduring strength of the world’s oldest continuing living cultures.

We spoke with community leaders, mentors and artists about what NAIDOC Week means to them and why sharing knowledge, strengthening connections and honouring heritage remains as important as ever.

For Kate, a Children and Families Worker from local community centre The Settlement, events like this help create welcoming spaces where young people can connect with their identity and feel proud of who they are:

“So many organisations are putting on events and using their space to celebrate NAIDOC and I think that’s so important for youth, that there’s multiple spaces where they’re welcomed and celebrated and respected.”

Reflecting on this year’s theme, Kate said the 50-year milestone is an opportunity to recognise the generations who came before and the work they did to keep traditions, stories and identity strong:

“NAIDOC is only what it is because of our aunties and uncles and nans and pops and all the work that they put forward.”

She said the celebration is ultimately about resilience, pride and carrying that legacy forward.

50 years on, we’re still strong - our culture is still thriving.

Kate also spoke about the importance of sharing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture with the wider community and supporting young people to develop a strong sense of pride in who they are. “Even for non-Indigenous people here today - we welcome them in to celebrate with us.”

We’re still doing the work to bring back what we’ve lost and keep it strong - especially for our little ones to grow up and be proud of their culture.

On the sports court, young people joined basketball sessions led by Nathan from the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence (NCIE). “I‘m a proud Wiradjuri man living and working on Gadigal Land and my mob is from Cowra, which is about six hours away.” He proudly acknowledges his grandfather Alan Merritt Senior and father Alan Merritt Junior, whose legacy and connection continue to inspire him.

Nathan sees NAIDOC Week as a powerful blend of celebration, reflection and education.

NAIDOC Week is a time for us to be together, celebrations and so much truth-telling.

Nathan said one of the most positive changes he has witnessed is the growing number of people wanting to learn more about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures. “Every year just gets more multicultural than ever and you see so many people wanting to learn about our history and culture.”

For him, the significance of 50 Years of Deadly lies in the strength and endurance of the world’s oldest continuing living cultures.

We’re still here, we’re still deadly.

Nathan said the milestone also recognises the sacrifices made by Elders and the responsibility of younger generations to continue their legacy.

“Our aunties and uncles have always sacrificed for us. The big 5-0 mark is a really big deal and we pass that knowledge down to the younger generation.”

Another highlight of the day was a large collaborative artwork created by Indigenous artist Lyle Ah Sam from Soul Reign, who invited everyone to contribute their own creative marks throughout the event, to expand on the beautiful piece of art.

Lyle said NAIDOC Week provides an important opportunity for young people to connect with their heritage through hands-on experiences, while also reminding adults that learning can go both ways.

NAIDOC Week is a time for us to celebrate who we are and be involved, especially for our kids. Seeing them embrace it and expand their knowledge - that’s the most powerful part.

He said these connections are not limited to one week each year, but something that is lived and practised every day. “It’s a way of life for us - we don’t just switch it on for that one week, this is every day.”

Lyle’s artwork was inspired by the theme of 50 Years of Deadly, featuring 50 pathways leading towards the centre to represent each year of NAIDOC celebrations. At its heart sits a water lily, a symbol that holds deep significance.

The water lily is sacred to my family. For women, it represents birth and beginning of life. For both men and women it represents strength and resilience because they grow from the mud and rise up.

As an artist who delivers programs in schools and communities, Lyle believes creativity provides an important connection to culture, identity and wellbeing. “Art is one of those things that is very grounding, and everyone needs grounding.”

Throughout the day, everyone was invited to add their own symbols, handprints and creative touches to the artwork, transforming it into a shared expression of culture and community.

For Lyle, watching the artwork evolve was one of the highlights of the event.

“The way kids see the world is pretty cool. They have less influence from other things in society. It’s great seeing them add things to the artwork and seeing it all come together.”

He said those moments are a reminder that cultural knowledge is not only passed down from Elders and adults, but can also be shared by younger generations.

As adults, we think we have to be teaching all the time, but if we stop and listen, our youth actually have a lot to teach us too.

The event reflected the spirit of this year’s NAIDOC celebrations - honouring the achievements of the past, celebrating culture in the present and supporting the next generation to carry knowledge, stories and traditions into the future.