About Us
A little about what we do.
About Gai-mariagal Festival
The Gai-mariagal Festival (formerly the Guringai Festival) was founded in 2001 and aims to raise awareness of First Nations People living in the Northern Sydney region.
Story of the Logo
In 2021, the 21st anniversary of our festival, it was time to renew, refresh and create a new look for the rebranded Gai-mariagal Festival.
Keeping it in the family, Jennifer Moylan, daughter of Susan Moylan-Coombs, created the new logo image.
National Reconciliation Week – 27th May to 3rd June 2022
National Reconciliation Week offers people across Australia the opportunity to focus on reconciliation, to hear about the cultures and histories of Australia’s First Nations peoples, and to explore new and better ways of meeting challenges in our communities.
NAIDOC Week – 3rd to 10th July 2022
We have a proud history of getting up, standing up, and showing up.
We all must continue to Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up! for systemic change and keep rallying around our mob, our Elders, our communities.
We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land, the Gai-mariagal clans of the
Northern Sydney Region.
We pay our respects to the Elders past and present.
Our People
Dennis Foley – Gai-mariagal man
Dennis Foley – Festival Ambassador, Elder and Knowledge Holder
His matrilineal connection is Gai-mariagal of Northern Sydney, and his patrilineal connection is to the Wiradjuri people of the Turon River region.
Susan Moylan-Coombs – Committee Chair
Susan Moylan-Coombs is Woolwonga Gurindji from the Northern Territory. Having lived on the Northern Beaches for over fifty years, where she has raised her family, Susan calls Gai-mariagal lands her spirit country.
Caroline Glass-Pattison – Committee Chair
Caroline Glass-Pattison is a proud Wiradjuri, Dungutti woman, living on Gai-mariagal Country for over three decades.
