BUSINESSES AND WORKPLACES STAY OPEN ON INVASION DAY HOLIDAY
Rabble Books and Games in Maylands on Noongar Boodja stock a wide range of titles by First Nations authors. Credit: Rabble Books and Games.
BY GERARD MAZZA.
This year, some Western Australian businesses and workplaces chose not to observe the January 26th public holiday.
On Noongar boodja, independent bookstore Rabble Books and Games traded as usual on Invasion Day.
The store will donate the day’s profits of around $2000 to Magabala Books’ scholarship program, which helps to support, mentor and develop Indigenous writers.
Rabble Books co-owner and manager Nat Latter said their shop had traded on Invasion Day since it opened five years ago.
“I think it’s important we listen to First Nations voices, and First Nations people are unequivocally saying that this is not a day of celebration, this is a day of mourning and has been a day of protest since 1938,” they said.
In the Pilbara, Tom Price’s not-for-profit Nintirri Centre remained open on January 26 and closed on January 27.
Operations at its arts hub, op shop, community resource centre, community health and wellbeing hub and family and domestic violence service continued as usual on the public holiday.
In a statement, CEO Sylvia Winkler said January 26 was not an “inclusive” date.
“For some, the date represents the dispossession of Australia's First Peoples back in 1788, which is why a cohort of the community refers to it as Invasion Day; to them it represents a day of mourning and we at the Nintirri Centre are respectful of that,” she said.
“In response, we are giving our team the option to abstain from celebrating on the day and, instead, start a conversation in our community about the possibility of finding another date to celebrate being Australian, one that can be enjoyed by both First Nations Australians and more recent arrivals.“
Listen to Nat Latter explain why Rabble Books and Games doesn’t open on Invasion Day and give some recommendations of books by First Nations authors: