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.
Important Dates
National Reconciliation Week 2021: 27 May – 3 June
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 – Heal Country, heal our nation.
Country is inherent to our identity.
It sustains our lives in every aspect – spiritually, physically, emotionally, socially, and culturally.
It is more than a place.
When we talk about Country it is spoken of like a person.
Country is inherent to our identity.
It sustains our lives in every aspect – spiritually, physically, emotionally, socially, and culturally.
It is more than a place.
When we talk about Country it is spoken of like a person.
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, residing in Gai-mariagal Country for over three decades.
