Original owners: Organisers of Belgrave Survival Day 2013 expect another fun-filled day celebrating Aboriginal history and culture. Picture: Wayne Hawkins
AS Australians celebrate our sunburnt land this Saturday, Belgrave will host an event that seeks to honour the country's original inhabitants.
This year, the sixth annual Belgrave Survival Day will also focus on children's activities, hip-hop and the 150th anniversary of the Cooranderrk mission, which was set up to provide land for Aborigines dispossessed by the arrival of Europeans to Victoria 30 years earlier.
Organiser Davey Heller said the event was about acknowledging the nation's indigenous history, which could at times be overlooked on Australia Day.
"Survival Day was started by a group of locals who felt there wasn't a lot of visible recognition of indigenous culture on Australia Day," he said. "It wasn't acknowledged that January 26 is a mixed day for them and we wanted to show the Aboriginal side of the story." Mr Heller said that in 2008, they were not sure how the event would be taken, but it had become a big part of the social calendar.
Belgrave Survival Day kicks off at noon this Saturday at Borthwick Park (next to Belgrave Pool), Benson Street. More information at belgravesurvivalday.org