Naidoc Gala Details
Date: 26th July 2025
Time: 5pm Welcome | 6pm -11pm Dinner & Entertainment
Location: Hilton Hotel, 34 Esplanade, Cairns
Dress Code: Formal & Fabulous
18+ Adults Only Event
Cost: $150 per person
Organiser Profile
Diane Stevens Parter
Diane Stevens Parter is a passionate community advocate and proud Aboriginal woman, dedicated to celebrating and promoting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. Joining the Cairns NAIDOC Committee in 2024, Diane quickly became an integral part of the team, demonstrating her commitment to fostering community engagement. In her first year as a volunteer, she played a key role in organizing the successful 2024 Cairns NAIDOC Gala Dinner. Building on that success, Diane will continue her work alongside Rachel Coulthard in organizing this year’s event.
Diane descends from a rich heritage, with paternal roots in the mBarbaram and Walubarra Yidinji peoples, and maternal connections to the Kuku Yalanji and Guugu Yimithirr peoples. Growing up in Innisfail, Diane has called Gimuy (Cairns) home for the past 30 years, where she remains deeply involved in the cultural and community life of the region.
Rachel Coulthard
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About the committee
The Cairns NAIDOC Committee is made up of 100% volunteers — mob and community who give their time, knowledge, and heart without pay, because standing for culture is non-negotiable.
We proudly secure government funding, corporate sponsorships, and generate ticket sales to cover the costs of delivering NAIDOC events.
But the Committee itself remains fully volunteer-run.
Every meeting, every late-night email, every big decision — it’s all carried by the hands of people committed to seeing our culture thrive.