From the Principal

Dear Parents, Guardians, Students, Staff and Friends of St Norbert College

“We stand together united as one people;

proud of our ability to work together;

grateful for our gifts;

nourished by our diversity and our harmony...”

This short piece is taken from the welcome prayer from our recent College NAIDOC Assembly, capturing many of the gifts we share as members of our College community.

I feel privileged to share the names Miss Jenayah Elliott and Miss Lilly Gogos with our community, names that I’m sure we will hear more of in the future, not just in our wider community but on a national scale. Not because of any fame, fortune or celebrity status, but because of the virtue and values that these young Aboriginal women espouse. And in the spirit of our Catholic community, we never have to look too far for the inspiration of our Holy Mother Mary for love, goodness and strength.

Our College Assembly last week was a celebration of NAIDOC, acknowledging the wonderful contributions made by Australian Aboriginals in our world and country. The theme of this year’s NAIDOC week was 'Because of her, we can', so we are called especially to consider the contributions of Aboriginal women. We could not have wished for our students, staff and others present, to witness and listen to such wonderful messages of hope and inspiration than those delivered by Miss Elliott and Miss Gogos.

Miss Jenayah Elliott is of the Jaru people, originally from Halls Creek in the Kimberley and made history as the first Aboriginal woman to compete in US beauty pageant Miss Teen Galaxy and the first Australian to finish in the top four. Her message to our community was to always front challenges, not to let anything get in the way, give everything a go and make the most of the opportunities offered to you – but always for the benefit of others.

Miss Lilly Gogos, of the Nyoongar people, shares her message of inspiration through the medium, and her exquisite talents, in music. Formerly of “The Yabu Band” and a woman of strong Christian faith, we heard from Miss Gogos that it is through God and because of God that our skills and talents lie and as such, we are called to share these for the betterment of those around us.

We acknowledge and thank Miss Elliott and Miss Gogos for blessing us with their time, energy and messages. I would also like to acknowledge all of our Aboriginal students, not just during this NAIDOC celebration, but also for bringing and sharing their Aboriginal heritage and culture with us at St Norbert College. We are blessed to have Mrs Geraldine Martin, our Aboriginal Education Assistant, who guides us all to share our gifts with each other. Thanks must also go to Mr Dowling and Ms Kamazizwa for their efforts in supporting Mrs Martin and assisting with our NAIDOC Assembly.

Many have shared and reflected, that our NAIDOC Assembly is already a highlight of our new school term. It is, most importantly, another demonstration that here within our St Norbert College community, we are all of one mind and one heart.

God Bless,

Mr S Harvey (Principal)