There was popcorn at the movies, paint on our hands, kangaroo tail on the fire and joeys in our arms. Our teams in Perth and at Kathleen Valley had a wonderful time celebrating NAIDOC Week.

It was a week of pride and enjoyment, honouring the history, culture, resilience and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples alongside communities across the country.

Our Kathleen Valley Lithium Operation sits on Tjiwarl country, in a region of deep cultural and environmental significance. The Tjiwarl have been recognised as the Traditional Owners over the project area, and in November 2021, we were proud to sign a Native Title Agreement with the Tjiwarl Native Title Holders.

The 2026 national theme, “50 Years of Deadly”, marks five decades of NAIDOC Week. We are grateful to the Tjiwarl Traditional Owners, including our partners at Ngatjila and Bundarra Contracting, for getting involved and generously sharing their culture and knowledge with us throughout the week.
Weeks like this one show the strength of our partnership with the Tjiwarl community.

Celebrations began in our Perth Office on Monday with a special NAIDOC lunch of kangaroo burgers for the team and Cultural Awareness Training facilitated by Tjiwarl and a talk, recognising the significance and the history of NAIDOC.

Up at Kathleen Valley, the program moved into full swing. We hosted a popcorn-filled NAIDOC movie night at Dragonfly Village with a screening of Bran Nue Dae. The following evening, Tjiwarl artist Bee Aswhin led a Paint and Sip.

Human Resources Superintendent Jaymie Clark said the Paint and Sip was a highlight.

“I did the paint and sip, which was a wonderful experience learning about the culture of art, traditional symbols, and their meanings, and then painting it onto something meaningful to our own story. My painting is hanging in my office, which brings me joy every time I look at it!”

Throughout the week, team members in Perth and at Kathleen Valley also took part in our highly praised Cultural Awareness Training, delivered thanks to Tjiwarl Aboriginal Corporation. This was our third year in a row holding Cultural Awareness Training during NAIDOC Week to highlight our continuing relationship with Tjiwarl.

Everything led to Thursday evening at Kathleen Valley, where an art exhibition opening and bush tucker cook-up brought the whole community together, featuring music from a local band, led by Warrick Tullock. It was a beautiful evening with a real family feel and a genuine sense of community that carried across every part of the night.

Liontown Non-Executive Director Adrienne Parker joined the team at Kathleen Valley and described the evening as a highlight of the week.
“Following a full day on site, Thursday evening’s events were a terrific way to celebrate NAIDOC Week and our partnership with Tjiwarl. I felt privileged to participate in some of the activities with our team – from seeing Vicki’s stunning art, enjoying the kangaroo tail, damper and honey ants and learning about the natural healing properties of the local plants from Fifi, to listening to the great music from Warrick Tullock’s band, Chook and the Kalboys.

“Spending time with members of the community and the Liontown team during such an important week really showed what a close bond we have with our Traditional Owners. Thank you to Jeremy, Lily, Matt and our Kathleen Valley ESG team, who put their hearts and souls into our relationship and helped us learn more about First Nations culture.”

Jaymie Clark said the evening offered a rare and memorable window into the land around the site.

“We were very fortunate to see firsthand all the artefacts and traditional bush food that are found around our site, including honey ants and kangaroo tails cooking over a fresh fire!”

More than a series of events, the week reflected the strength of the relationship between Liontown and the Tjiwarl community, and how welcome community members felt coming onto Kathleen Valley to celebrate alongside our team.

Liontown Chief Operating Officer Ryan Hair said the sense of togetherness was what stood out.

“It was wonderful to see everyone come together for NAIDOC, and especially to see how welcome the community felt at Kathleen Valley.”

Tjiwarl Board Member and Bundarra Managing Director Brett Lewis said the engagement went well beyond obligation.

“You can meet targets in the agreement and tick boxes, but what Liontown do here with events like this, celebrating NAIDOC week, it’s genuine and real engagement, and it’s always been like that with Liontown from the very start.”

A celebration of this scale takes an enormous amount of planning and heart, and it would not have been possible without the many people who gave their time and energy to bring it to life.

A big thank you to our friends from the communities in the Northern Goldfields who supported the events, the Tjukurba Art Gallery and Tjiwarl artists for displaying their art and setting up the art exhibition, Warrick Tullock’s band for sharing their music and to Troy and Fifi Harris for sharing their traditional food, knowledge and culture.

Thanks also to our incredible Heritage team for putting together such a jam-packed program that brought the community together and made the team feel proud to celebrate Tjiwarl’s heritage and culture. Thanks, lastly, to everyone who got involved, learnt something new and helped us celebrate together.