Odyssey House keeps the fire burning

“NAIDOC Week gives us a great reason to hype the kind of energy around being positive and really celebrating our culture,” says Daniel Wilson, the Senior Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Advisor at Odyssey House Victoria.

“At the start of the week, we had an Aboriginal man and an Aboriginal woman who came into Odyssey House on Monday, and it felt for them, really good timing because they're struggling a lot, as you would be coming into a rehabilitation program.

“So for them to walk in and engage in cultural practice of a smoking ceremony, they felt really grounded. So on an individual level, you know culture that's really meaningful for them and they do feel a bit more connected.”

Odyssey House provides specialist alcohol and other drug services to Victorians in need, their families and carers of those facing addiction and mental health issues. Daniel supports the programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander residents and clients to heal through education on culture, and yarning circles. The main yarning circle for them is Buladu Ngarrgu program which is Woiwurrung for grow knowledge.

Daniel, a proud Murri and Mbabaram man from Queensland, has lived most of his life in Naarm (Melbourne) in Victoria. He says the programs provide a safe cultural space for residents to connect to country and to explore their cultural identity as part of their recovery journey.

“NAIDOC Week lets us explore our culture. We also share our culture and engage the whole community in activities, sharing that knowledge,” says Daniel.

This week started with a yarn around the fire-pit, talking about the importance of NAIDOC Week and culture for mob. A community arts project saw residents paint fish and hang them with large swathes of material, recreating the Birrarrung, the Yarra River in the House hallways.

An annual activity is a call-out to residents or clients engaged with Odyssey to create a design, interpreting the NAIDOC theme, for T-shirts and hoodies. This year’s design winners, the Aboriginal residents of the Hope Centre in Bairnsdale was announced at a NAIDOC event. The NAIDOC T-shirt and hoodie are then handed to Odyssey House clients, residents and staff to wear with pride throughout the week.

“We put Aboriginal culture to the forefront in NAIDOC Week, but our culture is pretty much embedded throughout the year at Odyssey House,” he says. “It’s a good thing to say for a mainstream organisation.

“You know there is grief and sadness and loss around some other days of significance, and residents can feel a bit sombre, but NAIDOC gives us a great reason be positive about our culture,” says Daniel.

Daniel says that he think this year's NAIDOC theme feels really fitting off the back of the referendum. "It's about reminding ourselves to keep the fire burning and really acknowledging the strength of spirit that we have, resilience to continue thriving and that, you know, we're still here and  still fighting and staying strong.”