Community Development and Events

National Reconciliation Week (NRW) is held annually from 27 May - 3 June. 

NRW is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. 

The theme for National Reconciliation Week 2026 is All In, a call for all Australians to commit wholeheartedly to reconciliation every single day.

Council invites the community to take part in our National Reconciliation Week colouring in display. Collect your colouring in sheets from the Bathurst Library or  download it here(PDF, 1MB). 

Return your finished sheet by Friday, 22 May 2026 to have it included in our community colouring display.

All participants who submit a completed sheet will receive a NRW sticker.

#NRW2026

Learn more about National Reconciliation Week and the 2026 theme on the Reconciliation Australia website. 

NAIDOC Week

NAIDOC Week is held across the nation during the first week of July each year. NAIDOC Week is a time to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It is an opportunity for all Australians to learn about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and histories and participate in celebrations. 

The 2026 NAIDOC Week theme is 50 Years of Deadly.   

Learn more about NAIDOC Week and the 2026 theme on the  National NAIDOC Week website. 

Details for Council's future NAIDOC Week event will be shared closer to July 2026.

In 2025, Council coordinated Our Faces, Our Future, Our Mob: Portraits of strength, vision & legacy, an exhibition of portraits from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people across the Bathurst region. 

Bathurst Regional Council w successful in funding from the NSW Government Regional Youth Holiday Break Program for Summer 25/26. The Holiday Break Program provides young people across NSW with the opportunity to connect, socialise, learn new skills and have fun during the school holidays. It supports the delivery of free activities for young people during the school holiday period. 

Council partnered with Riverside Dreaming Aboriginal Corporation to deliver a Marang Connections River Dreaming Immersion day. Council took a group of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander young people (14-19 years) to Forbes for a day of traditional activities, canoeing and cultural fishing. Each young person received their own fishing rod! 

This experience is a chance to strengthen cultural identity and connect to Country through land and water-based activities.