Aunty Joan Collins
"Back in 1992, I started the first Musgrave Park Family Fun Day to celebrate Aboriginal culture.
I was concerned that as Australia's First Nation people we didn't have a place to present, promote and preserve our culture".
31 years later, the Musgrave Park Family Fun Day has become the single largest celebration of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander culture during NAIDOC Week and has become the flagship of all NAIDOC Celebrations in Brisbane.
Musgrave Park is historically a meeting place for Aboriginal people and it holds traditional and spiritual significance for many Aboriginal tribal groups in and around Brisbane. It is for this reason that we invite all Australian's and visitors to our nation to come along and celebrate the oldest, continuous living culture in the world.
Aunty Joan Collins (nee Alberts)
ABOUT MUSGRAVE PARK FAMILY FUN DAY
The first Musgrave Park Family Fun Day was held in 1992. In 2023 we will celebrate the 29th Musgrave Park Family Fun Day.
From humble beginnings the Musgrave Park Family Fun Day has grown into the most significant celebration of Aboriginal culture nationally during NAIDOC Week and continues to be a great celebration and demonstration of Australia First Nations people gathering together to celebrate our culture and achievements, an opportunity to rekindle friendships and make new ones; and in the spirit of reconciliation, provide cultural education for all to share.
Musgrave Park is historically a meeting place for Aboriginal people and still today holds traditional and spiritual significance for the many Aboriginal tribal groups of Brisbane and the surrounding lands. Musgrave Park Family Fun Day acknowledge the local custodians, and visiting clans through our Official Opening Ceremony and Welcome and community corroboree which is the highlight of the day.
The Musgrave Park Family Fun Day was born out of a vision by Aunty Joan Collins (nee Alberts) who feared the rich and diverse cultural heritage of Aboriginal Australia was disappearing. She dreamt of celebrating and promoting the very essence of her culture and showcasing its significance to all Australians. This dream motivated her to lobby government and non-government agencies, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous to join her cause. This resulted in what you see today, the biggest and best most significant celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture in Brisbane - the Musgrave Park Family Fun Day.
Aunty Joan Collins is a Life Member of Musgrave Park Family Fun Day and her daughter Natalie Alberts continues her legacy, in the administration and management of the Musgrave Park Family Fun Day. We are encouraged and inspired by her vision and we are driven to ensure the Musgrave Park Family Fun Day continues to be an avenue for the positive expression of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and culture.
In 2019 we had over 160 organisations, service providers and government agencies promoting their services and programs at our event. This provides an avenue for the dissemination of information to Indigenous people. Attendance at the Musgrave Park Family Fun Day over the years draws representation from a wide cross section of the community, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, and continues to grow with visiting numbers in the vicinity of over 26,000 throughout the duration of the day.
Always Was, Always Will Be.
We invite you to walk with us in a movement of First Nations people for a better future for all who share our beautiful country.
