National Reconciliation Week
National Reconciliation Week Breakfast
Yesterday, a number of secondary students and some staff ventured into the early morning rain and traffic to attend the breakfast at MyState Arena. The students who attended were Charlee Glover, Milly Cowen, Willow Paton-Clarke, Melody Wright-Brown and Zara Taylor. Mr Chapman, Mrs Wall and Mrs Hill accompanied the girls. Time was allocated after the breakfast for the girls to connect with family and other members of the community.
The central theme of the breakfast program was ‘Truth, Reckoning, Change’: A New Understanding and Approach. The event was co-hosted by Sinsa Mansell and Ryk Goddard. The panelists were Cody Gangell-Smith, Rodney Gibbins, Alison Overeem and Prof. Tim McCormack.
The rich discussions that arose from the breakfast and the desire to deepen connections within the school community showed how valuable this experience was for all who attended.
National Reconciliation Week Primary Assembly
This term is an important term for our First Nations students as Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC weeks occur during the term.
National Reconciliation week is 27th May to 3rd June. The Theme "All In" highlights that reconciliation is not a spectator sport, but a shared responsibility requiring action from everyone, not just First Nations peoples.
NAIDOC Week is the 5th - 12th July and the theme is “50 Years of Deadly”.
As a Primary school we came together to celebrate National Reconciliation Week. We began with prayer led by Year 5 Navy students. A very special procession of the Bible for the Gospel reading involved Delilah, a Year 4 student leading the procession using her clapsticks which she made during a recent ‘on country’ experience. We are very grateful to Delilah for sharing her cultural heritage with us.
To show we are “All In”, each primary class is decorating their classroom door or window space on how we can take action together acknowledging the past and moving toward and supporting reconciliation not just during this week but throughout everyday school life, building more respectful relationships. The students are very excited about decorating their door to reflect their thoughts and actions.
May our footsteps, on these ancient lands,
remind us of creation and connectedness, in our search for truth.
May the Gum Tree, from its roots to its branches,
remind us to dig deep and reach high, in our action for justice.
May the Eagle, who soars in the sky,
remind us of the power, in our call for love.
May the expanse of the lands and seas, of the sky and stars,
remind us of God’s timing in our faith in hope.
May the Holy three, Creator Spirit, Lord God, Jesus,
remind us of community.
So with grace, mercy, and peace, may we walk in truth, justice, love and hope.
Where Smoke Meets Story: A Ceremony Shaped by Rain
When ELC - Year 10 students arrived for their long-awaited Smoking Ceremony as part of Reconciliation Week, the sky had other plans. Steady rain had ruled out the outdoor setting, but what could have been a disappointment became something far more intimate, a gathering shaped as much by the weather as by the wisdom shared within it.
The Smoking Ceremony is one of the oldest and most sacred traditions of Australia's First Nations peoples. Used for tens of thousands of years, it is a ritual of welcome, cleansing and protection, native plants burned to release their healing smoke, which is wafted across participants to purify the spirit and connect them to Country.
Inside the Cahill Centre, the space was transformed. The gentle percussion of rain on the roof provided an unexpected but entirely fitting accompaniment to the ceremony, which due to being inside was conducted as it should have been but without the smoke. Students sat in respectful quiet as the ritual unfolded and celebrated what has been a great Reconciliation Week across the College.