While NAIDOC Week (2-9 July) has ended, Papunya (Panya) Connors reminds Canberrans that the most supportive action from non-Indigenous members of the community can be taken year-round.

“[It’s to] educate themselves. Be open to Aboriginal culture. NAIDOC is about celebrating our achievements and where we’re all from. There’s so much creativity and love within the culture,” Panya says.

“Within our community, it’s a big deal to celebrate each other and to be with one another. We’ve overcome so many hurdles.”

Panya, a proud Ngambri women and powerhouse within the local Indigenous community, was recently crowned the 2023 NAIDOC ACT Person of the Year.

She has changed thousands of lives as the cultural practice leader of the only community organisation directly combating homelessness among Indigenous people in the ACT.

Through EveryMan’s Indigenous Support and Accommodation (ISA) program, she helps her clients find permanent housing, and guides them through the labyrinth of government services, legal matters, health services, and access to education, to get the support they need.

“I work alongside them – not for or with – so that when I’m gone out of their lives, I know that they can keep carrying on and achieve what they want,” says Panya.

She says that throughout her career, her greatest challenge has been advocating for members of her community within the government system, especially when it comes to mental health services.

“There’s not much here in the ACT that they feel comfortable and safe to go to.”

Suicide rates are more than twice as high in young Indigenous Australians compared to non-Indigenous Australians, with young Indigenous men particularly affected, she says.

In 2016, Panya and her daughter Rhianna – a previous winner of the NAIDOC ACT Youth Award for leadership – formed the Young Black and Deadly Warriors football team to change mindsets within their own community.

“It’s to tell our young men that it’s fine to talk. It’s fine to say you’re not okay,” says Panya.

“We had a death in our family due to suicide. The whole family loves football, so we put a team together for the Canberra/Queanbeyan knockout.

“It’s to raise awareness for suicide prevention, and just to get people together,” she says.

“Most of the people in the team have lost someone in their family. On our shirts, we have the names of those lost ones. They get out there and they run for that person.”

The Young Black and Deadly Warriors are sponsored by Relationships Australia, R U OKAY?, and EveryMan.

“Since we’ve started, there’s been a lot more memorial teams coming out, which has been amazing,” says Panya. She estimates that the majority of the teams playing in the Knockout this September are memorial teams raising awareness for suicide prevention and mental health.

“It’s not just about the day, it’s the lead up to the day, getting together and talking, that’s what we do when we’re out on the field.”

If you are struggling with mental health and seeking culturally safe resources for Indigenous Australians, Panya recommends the following:

• Mental Health for Mob: Services include therapeutic interventions for mob only, play therapy for children under 12 years, and a Women’s Survivor Group.
• Winnunga: An Aboriginal community controlled primary health care service operating in Narrabundah.
• Relationships Australia Dhunlung Yarra Service: Supporting community members to open up and ‘Tell, Talk’ with experienced Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff.

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