Celebrating NAIDOC Week 2023 with Lalwa May

National NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia in the first week of July each year (Sunday to Sunday), to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Indigenous Australians. NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Australians to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth. 

This year's theme pays homage to Indigenous Elders. The National NAIDOC Committee co-chair, Dr Lynette Riley, a proud Wiradjuri and Gamilaroi woman from NSW, said the theme reflects the important role of the kinship structures in First Nations cultures. "It still drives everything that we do. Our Elders are our driving force, culturally, socially and economically. They are everything," she told SBS News.

At Equestrian Australia, we are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive equestrian community, where everyone feels welcome and respected. As we acknowledge NAIDOC Week, we stand united in celebrating the achievements and contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander equestrians across the country.

Lalwa May, a proud Larrakia girl and a member of Equestrian Northern Territory is a shining example of dedication and hard work paying off in our sport. Last year Lalwa represented the Northern Territory to compete in Jumping and Combined Training at the Marcus Oldham National Interschool Championships at Sydney International Equestrian Centre (SIEC). Bringing her own 12 year old black Australian Stock Horse Yandaloo Targette all the way from Darwin to Sydney was quite an experience for Lalwa.

"There were three of us with our horses who came down to the Sydney in our floats (the other members of the team used borrowed horses from Sydney for the event. It was quite a drive and took almost 5 days because we stopped regularly to let the horses off and stretch their legs," said Lalwa. " We stayed with one of our team members family in Bundanoon in the Southern Highlands for four days before the competition started to give our horses a good break after their long journey."

When asked what were the memorable parts of the Interschool Nationals, Lalwa said they just couldn't believe the size of the venue and the facilities at SIEC.  "We had never ridden at a venue anything like that. My horse had been in a covered arena before but nothing like the Indoor arena at SIEC where we jumped on the Thursday. He was so good though and I was very proud of him." ..." I also loved spending more time with my team mates and getting to know them all better. It was so much fun hanging around the stables together with our horses."

Above: Lalwa May and Yandaloo Targette at Interschool Nationals 2023. Photo Credit Rodney's Photography.

Next week, the 16-year-old Darwin local travels to France as part of Pony Club Australia's four-rider team, which will complete at the 2023 World Clubs Tournament in July. The event is scheduled every year during the French National Championships (Generali Open de France), one of the world's largest equestrian gatherings.

Lalwa told the National Indigenous Times that whilst proud of her achievements to date, she remains ambitious and would love to reach of the height of the sport in future years. "I am so proud to be an Indigenous rider for Australia and I hope seeing me encourages other Indigenous kids to get involved in the sport," "I would love to go to the Olympics – Brisbane 2032 would be awesome."

In the short term, Lalwa is focussing on her studies as she is in Year 11 and wants to do well at school to set herself up for a good career to help support her love of Jumping! 

We wish Lalwa all the best for her upcoming trip to France, the remainder of her schooling and for her future in the sport.

For more information on NAIDOC Week visit https://www.naidoc.org.au/.