BMD celebrates NAIDOC Week through traditional language

To celebrate NAIDOC Week’s theme ‘Voice. Treaty. Truth’, as well as the United Nations ‘International Year of Indigenous Languages’, BMD’s Reconciliation Action Plan Working Group members have contacted Traditional Custodians of the lands on which BMD’s offices operate to translate our five values – family, empowering, determined, collaborative and striving to do better, into the language of the Traditional Custodians of that land.

In Victoria, the language spoken by members of four Koori clans, including the Wurundjeri peoples is Woi Wurrung. BMD’s values have been translated into Woi Wurrung language by Wurundjeri Elder Aunty Doreen Garvey-Wandin:

BMD value	Woi Wurrung translation
Family	NARKWARREN Indigenous people call Elders Aunty and Uncle as a sign of respect, it doesn’t always mean they are related.
Empowering	LALAL (HEADMAN) Headman (Ngurangaeta) of their clan group, have the authority to take control to lead their people to a safe passage.
Determined	MOROOP (LIVING GOOD SPIRITS) Indigenous people celebrate their Welcome to Country and smoking ceremonies to cleanse their bodies from bad living spirits. They smoke themselves by burning eucalyptus gum leaves to protect themselves.
Collaborative	BAGUNG KERTHEBA (GATHER TOGETHER) Indigenous people and non-Indigenous people work together to gather their thoughts, in believing in one another, by sharing their artwork, wellbeing, telling stories and working together through their cultural heritage.
Striving to do better	GAAYIP KERTHEBA (COMING TOGETHER) Indigenous people move forward to achieve their rights in Aboriginal Lore to learn their respect for each other.

To celebrate NAIDOC Week and encourage employees to learn more about Australia’s history while promoting respect, trust and positive relationships between the wider Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, BMD is giving employees a once in a lifetime opportunity to win a trip for two to Uluru. Employees are required to correctly answer a range of questions related to NAIDOC Week, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, and BMD’s own reconciliation journey.

BMD proudly launched our second Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), Innovate in June during National Reconciliation Week. As BMD takes the next steps in our reconciliation journey, we aim to strengthen our existing relationships with the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we operate and seek to initiate new employment and engagement opportunities by aligning our RAP actions and deliverables to not only our enduring values and philosophies, but also BMD’s strategic direction.