NAIDOC Week

This week is NAIDOC Week!

NAIDOC Week is usually celebrated in the first full week in July, but in 2020 it has been postponed due to the pandemic until 8-15 November. It's a week to celebrate the history, cultures and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia.

NAIDOC stands for 'National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee', the committee responsible for organising national activities during NAIDOC Week. Its acronym has now become the name of the week.

We have been pretty lucky in 2020 because NAIDOC Week was moved to November. Usually we don’t get to celebrate this week as it falls in the school holiday period.

We have a lot to celebrate at St. Joseph’s College during NAIDOC Week. If you have logged on to PAM or looked at your student’s SIMON pages you will have seen that we have featured a range of posts on our daily notices page celebrating the great achievements of Aboriginal people. In fact, five of the days this week have featured Old Collegians. Aunty Donna has also made a display in our College library using photos from years gone by celebrating the past students of St. Joseph’s College and their great contributions to our College.

Indeed there is much to celebrate in our local community. The Yorta Yorta people have made a huge impact in developing elements of our Australian history and culture. The Yorta Yorta people are recognised and admired for their work in advocating for indigenous rights and our local community has born many talented artists, musicians, comedians, politicians and educators (to name only a few occupations and talents).

One teacher in particular who is being recognised during this NAIDOC Week is Thomas Shadrach James, also known as Grandpa James. Grandpa James was an Indian migrant who worked in the Maloga and Cummergunja Aboriginal missions and communities for many decades.

Why is his story a significant one for this newsletter. Well, there are two reasons: 1. With good reason, he is recognised as one of the most successful teachers in Australian history as a result of the skils he transferred to his pupils and 2. Because we have descendants of Grandpa James who are students at our College.

A recent article penned by the ABC states that students at the school in the early mission years were only to receive an education til they were nine years old. This meant an education of only three years for most Aboriginal children.

However, over the course of decades Grandpa James defied these orders and worked to bring the great pleasures of learning to his scholars. His classes went over and above what the law allowed and he didn’t just educate the kids. At night he set up what was called The Scholars Hut and under the dim light of candles he taught the Aboriginal people how to read and write . He taught them the art of letter writing and petition writing; the skills of leaders and the skills required to break down the barriers of oppression.

In many ways Grandpa James helped to build the skills of activism and the self determination of the people of both Maloga and Cummergunja Missions. He was even the minute taker that the meeting that led to the Cummeragunja Walk Off – a defining moment in the rights movement of Australia’s Indigenous people.

Most of the Aboriginal activists at the time of the Walk Off (Feb 1939) had either been taught by or were descendants of those who had been taught by Grandpa James.

NAIDOC Week is a time to celebrate the great achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people all across Australia. It is really important though that we take time to get to know the great people who are part of our local Yorta Yorta history – the history of long ago and also our recent history.

There is much to celebrate.

Aboriginal Prayer for Truth and Hope by Brooke Prentis - Author/Writer

May the God of all wonder who set the stars in the sky,

bless you with relentless unsettledness --

that drives you to seek truth.

May the God of all justice who gave motion to the rivers,

bless you with righteous anger --

that drives you to seek freedom for all.

May the God of all love who placed laughter in the kookaburra,

bless you with the friendship --

that looks like the love where one lays down their life for another.

May the God of all comfort who determined the height of the mountains,