First Nations Achievements
Sports News
Over the October long weekend Kasey Russell participated in the NSW Koori Rugby League Knockout played in Tamworth (playing for Redfern All Blacks). The Koori Knockout not only showcases talented rugby league players; but also serves as a gathering for Indigenous communities to celebrate culture, heritage, and community pride. It is a highly anticipated event, with teams competing for the title and communities coming together to support their local teams. It’s some of the most difficult and toughest rugby league you will ever see.
Kasey’s team played 3 games and won each of them, which led to her team making the Grand Final on the Monday; unfortunately they were beaten by a very well drilled and skilled Yowies team from Newcastle.
On the weekend of 17-20 October we had a few girls playing in National Oztag.
Charlize Elder played in the Under 13 girls team. Her team made it to the qualifying final and lost after 2 drop offs; the other team went through because they ended up higher on the table at the end of the pool games.
Kiara Marr and Zara Dilger also competed in the same competition in the Under 16 girls team. They also made the quarter finals and lost during drop off.
Congratulations to all three girls on an awesome weekend and a great achievement.
On this same weekend Tess Doyle played in the Harmony 9’s for the First Nations Indigenous Team. The event, run by the NSWRL in conjunction with Heritage Rugby League, featured 19 heritage clubs, 80 teams and more than 1300 players in a two-day event at the Central Coast Regional Sporting and Recreation Complex. Over the weekend Tess played 6 games. Tess’s team played Tonga in the Grand Final and won 24-8. Congratulations to Tess on a great tournament.
On the weekend of the 26-27 October Kiah Bell-Parsons and Tess Doyle played in the Koori Netball Knockout for La Perouse. They came 3rd overall. What a fantastic achievement.
Congratulations to Tess Doyle who has been selected in the Rabbitohs Under 16 Lisa Fiaola Squad for 2026 and Kasey Russell who has been selected in the Under 16 Female Junior Development Summer Squad program. Fantastic achievement by both girls (once training starts we will hear more from both girls).
School-based Apprenticeship/Traineeship updates
In Week 2 of Term 4 Tess Doyle began her School-based Traineeship with the Rabbitohs in Event Management. We wish Tess the best of luck and we look forward to some updates during her time there.
As we begin Term 4 our Year 11 First Nations students Kiara Marr, Letayah Goldthorpe, Gaby Cook and Isabelle Collins continue their NSW Aboriginal School-based Traineeship in Allied Health and Assisted Nursing. Kiara, Letayah and Gaby are studying Allied Health at TAFE and they work at Prince of Wales Hospital once a week (putting what they have learnt into practice).
Isabelle is studying Assistant Nursing at TAFE and works once a week at the Sydney Eye Hospital. Over the next couple of weeks we will hear some stories of their time at work and what they are learning and working towards.
Curriculum News
We are absolutely thrilled to celebrate Kayla for her incredible achievement in the Dymocks Beyond Words writing competition! After her strong English assessment piece, Ms Rose encouraged Kayla to expand her Aboriginal story for submission, and it was soon long-listed out of over 3,500 entries nationally. Attending the 2025 Annual Awards Ceremony during the holidays, where authors like Jackie French judged the top 100 stories, Kayla won the prestigious First Nations Award for her moving story, 'Dust in my Blood.' This exceptional win means her story, along with the other short-listed entries, will now be printed in a book sold in Dymocks stores Australia-wide and used by teachers in school curriculums—a truly outstanding and meaningful achievement. The submission is in the English faculty report above.
Program News
Souths Cares
On Thursday 23 October Souths Cares welcomed our Year 8 First Nations students Kiah Bell-Parsons, Charlie Robben and Bella Gibbon into our program.
We shared some food for breakfast and some yarns; we also did some canvas paintings based on different Aboriginal symbols which we needed to paint and connect it back to something within our family.
The students had lots of fun producing their canvas paintings, in our next session they will present the canvas painting to the group and explain how it relates to something within their families.
Natalie Harkins
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Coordinator