We were honoured, once again, to be a part of the long-running Yabun festival, celebrating the survival of Indigenous People and their culture and spirit, and held every year on Survival Day, January 26.

Meaning “song with a beat” in the local Gadigal language, and showcasing music, dance and some of Indigenous Australia’s best thinkers and speakers, Yabun has been held in Victoria Park, Camperdown, since the early 2000s and took over from earlier events held in La Perouse and Waverley from the 1990s.

This year, for the first time, it became a streamed event due to COVID-19 restrictions and Seniors Rights Service was involved for the third year running.

It was streamed from Seymour Centre, where there was an Elders space onsite, attracting up to 100 Elders throughout the day. Seniors Rights Service had a stall just outside the space, offering pamphlets and other resources. We were the only organisation invited to be there.

A message from Seniors Rights Service was streamed throughout the day, delivered by Indigenous Board Member Barbara O’Neill, who told participants: “Our staff can help you with law issues, things to do with wills, funerals, scams, aged care, really anything that is really getting in your way as you grow older and you would like to have it resolved.”

We also had an ad on Koori radio running for three weeks around Yabun, raising awareness of financial vulnerabilities in Aboriginal communities, and directing them to our legal service.

More than 13,000 people tuned into the live stream on the day, with many thousands more also engaging after the event through Facebook and Instagram and the Yabun website.