NAIDOC Bus 2019 hits the road,

Indigenous dancers with traditional body paint perform in front of the NAIDOC bus, itself decorated with Indigenous artwork.
Indigenous dancers with traditional body paint perform in front of the NAIDOC bus, itself decorated with Indigenous artwork.

State Transit has launched a bus decorated with Indigenous artwork for NAIDOC Week in mid-July, accompanied by a smoking ceremony, the hoisting of the Aboriginal flag, and a traditional performance by the Freeman Dancers – including our own Apprentice Mechanic Kayleb Waters.

After the welcome to country, staff found the smoking ceremony a particularly moving experience. Staff put their face, hands and feet into the smoke, while an Indigenous musician Kyle Freeman played the didgeridoo. Bus Operator Terrie Bell explained: “The smoking ceremony asks the ancestors to pave the way for us; to look after us.”

State Transit Employees bathe the Aboriginal Flag in smoke during an Aboriginal Smoking Ceremony to launch the 2019 NAIDOC bus.
State Transit Employees bathe the Aboriginal Flag in smoke during an Aboriginal Smoking Ceremony to launch the 2019 NAIDOC bus.

The passion of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff is what drives initiatives like this. Keep an eye out for our wonderful bus that is taking customers to and from their destination all around Sydney.

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