Communtiy Billboard 2nd of May – 8th May

For the second year, the Black Markets at Bare Island are holding a cultural welcome ceremony that includes dance performances, arts and craft stalls, weaving and bushfood and halal food.
The market opens at 9.30am on Saturday and official proceedings will start with a welcome to country at 10.30am by Elder Greg Simms. The welcome is extended to refuges and newly arrived Australians, which as CEO of First Hand Solutions Aboriginal Corporation, Peter Cooley, says is because “Aboriginal people are the appropriate people to welcome newly arrived visitors to Australia.”
First Hand Solutions Aboriginal Corporation started the Black Markets three years ago to provide economic development opportunities to Indigenous business and employment opportunities for youth. First Hand Solutions is an Aboriginal charity providing cultural reconnection programs for urban Aboriginal young people and all profits from the Black Markets are reinvested into these programs.

Entry is $ 2.50 or free for children under five and refugees.

With Sydney FC gearing up for an A-League final on Saturday, fever pitch is approaching the eastern suburbs. David Williams' one man show is a fitting accompaniment, he gives us one man’s insightful and hilarious examination of football, tribalism, belonging and identity.

During the 2013-14 A League football season, Williams, a long-suffering Sydney FC fan, frequented Western Sydney Wanderers’ games on their home turf in Parramatta. Kitted out in his Sydney FC sky-blue jersey, Williams the Smurf stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the sea of red and black. His presence caused bewilderment and banter, but none of the hooliganism that’s come to be associated with the game – he didn’t need to fear for his life.

Smurf In Wanderland asks what it means to be a fan, and talks about the demonisation of fans and the artificial wedge that has been created between Sydney and its western suburbs.

Not to be missed!

Get in the spirit of the Sydney comedy festival at Sweeney's free comedy night. Sweeney’s Comedy features established acts trying out new material and welcomes newcomers who would like to give comedy a try for the first time.

On every Tuesday, the show starts at 7.30pm on the second floor of Hotel Sweeney’s in the CBD. More importantly , there are cheap beers and 50 cent chicken wings!

Comics interested in signing up should check our Facebook Page Sweeneys Comedy, where we will post a link every Tuesday afternoon for online sign up.

Early in her life, Chido Govera realised the importance of food to community. Mushroom farming enabled her not only to feed her family in Zimbabwe and attain independence, but to create a healthier environment through managing food waste. For many years Chido has shared her unique skills and experiences with women throughout Africa and globally as an educator and mentor.

Chido will join Sydney Ideas for a conversation with University of Sydney researcher Alana Mann to discuss how engagement in small scale agro-ecological methods of farming can empower women, benefit the environment, and contribute to food sovereignty and food security.

This illuminating talk is free, booking is advised.

Discover the rich Aboriginal heritage of Sydney with an Aboriginal guide in the heart of the city.
Located in a spectacular harbourside setting , the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney is one of Sydney’s most treasured and iconic destinations.

On the traditional land of the Cadigal people, the land now occupied by the Garden is the site where the modern transformation of the Australian continent began and can be regarded as the ‘first frontier’ between Aboriginal and European societies.
Join a passionate Aboriginal guide on a 1.5 hour walking tour of the Garden which highlights the significance of the site to Aboriginal people, as well as the rich heritage and culture of Aboriginal people of the Sydney region. Learn about traditional Aboriginal uses for the Garden’s variety of native trees and plants including medicine, tools and food (bush tucker).

Tours run every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 10 am, excluding public holidays.