First Nations News

By Claudine Rudeforth - First Nations Officer

The Dhurrung Program and students have had a full first half of the year, starting with the Dhurrung Room moving to a space which accommodates our growing First Nations program. This new space continues to be an inclusive, welcoming and safe environment for our First Nations students and their families, students and staff in our Loreto community and members of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, to gather. While it is ever evolving, we are very proud of our Dhurrung Room and the opportunity it provides for our students to be culturally curious, empowered and confident learners and most importantly, the sense of belonging it fosters. 

At the end of Term 1, we sadly said goodbye to our First Nations Trainee (and past student) Ella McCormack, who moved to the warmer climate of The Kimberley where she is working as a Governess at Thangoo Station. Ella is absolutely loving her new role and credits the skills she learnt and developed while working at Loreto College, to being able to navigate the responsibilities of supporting her students’ learning via the Kimberley School of the Air. 

We are excited to share that our Dhurrung Program has been shortlisted as an Excellence Awardee at the Australian Education Awards being held on 7 August in Sydney. Watch this space for the results!

We had a lovely end to Term 1 with a few events, including a Historical Perspective through the Possum Skin Personal Learning day with the SEA (School Empowered Alliance) members, held at the Sovereign Hill Rare Trade Centre and facilitated by Wadawurrung Traditional Custodian, Shannen Mennen. Shannen shared her incredible breadth of knowledge of the history and importance of Waleert-Waleert (Possum Skin Cloaks) for Wadawurrung People, and we were taken through the Rare Trades Centre to see the collection of Possum Skin Cloaks and other artworks by Wadawurrung artists. 

 A small group of staff and students took part in The FIRE (Friends Igniting Reconciliation through Education) Carrier Schools’ commissioning at St Alipius, which was a beautiful ceremony led by Aunty Sherry from Opening The Doors Foundation. Being a FIRE Carrier School recognises Loreto College’s commitment to Reconciliation in our College Community, and beyond. 

The Dhurrung Students had the opportunity to once again attend the Deadly Aspirations Day at Federation Uni in May. Deadly As is always a fun day of connecting with other First Nations students, celebrating Culture, developing communication skills with external stakeholders at the expo, cultural learning in workshops and listening to guest speakers. Georgia (Year 10) was the lucky winner of a Western Bulldogs signed football and Abbie (Year 9) won a fabulous Aboriginal designed picnic rug which she kindly gifted to her mum. 

On May 26 Loreto and Damascus students gathered at St Patrick’s College for our fourth National Sorry Day Ceremony together, which was held in St Patrick’s beautiful Performing Arts Centre. We thank St Patrick’s College for hosting this year’s Sorry Day Ceremony. 

Our Reconciliation Assembly on Thursday 28 May was a collaborative effort between the Dhurrung and FIRE Carrier students and was led beautifully by Meg Hillman, our FIRE Carrier Coordinator. The assembly was a reflection of the students as they decided what Reconciliation and the theme of ALL IN, meant to them and how as a school community, we can make meaningful acts of change. There were many poignant parts of the assembly that highlighted the strengths of our students and wider school community - our First Nations Captain Billy and her grandmother Marjorie’s Acknowledgment of Country in their mob’s traditional language of Wergaia, Sapphie blessing and commissioning Mrs Shaw as a FIRE Carrier, our amazing and talented choir singing the 2026 Reconciliation song, Beds are Burning and all the students who stood up and used their voices and actions. 

Thank you to the FIRE Carriers, Mentor groups and Library staff who held a variety of activities throughout Reconciliation Week and a heartfelt thank you to all the parents and Helen Christensen from DOBCEL, who supported their daughters and our school community by attending the Reconciliation Week Assembly. This support very much reflects the Reconciliation 2026 theme of ALL IN. 

If we work collectively, weaving strength in numbers with a shared purpose…we are strong and unified in our continuous commitment of reconciliation.