Principal's Update

Wellbeing Week, Including Sorry Day, National Reconciliation Week and Harmony Day

This has been particularly important in our calendar, as it brings together a number of significant events in our Wellbeing Week (25–29.05.2026). Over the week we focused on building positive environments and culture in our community. We dedicated the week to promoting, educating and understanding the importance of events that foster and sustain a more supportive community.

During this week there were also two important annual events in our national calendar: National Sorry Day (26.05.2026) and National Reconciliation Week (27.05–03.06.2026). National Reconciliation Week is about strengthening respectful relationships between the broader Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. National Sorry Day provides an opportunity to acknowledge the historical injustices and ongoing intergenerational trauma caused by forced child‑removal policies of previous governments, organisations and individuals.

At Bayside P–12 College, we have a Marrung Champion, Ms Baronio, who leads a dedicated Marrung team of staff. They prepared the week for students to learn about and better understand the importance of National Reconciliation Week and Sorry Day.

Marrung is the Wemba‑Wemba word for the Murray Cypress pine tree, representing branches of education and knowledge. Marrung is part of a 10‑year plan by the Victorian Government to create a positive climate for learning and development where we demonstrate the highest levels of respect and inclusion and, as a result, Koorie children and learners of all ages feel strong in their identity.

Below is an outline of what the Marrung Team presented for our staff and students:

What is Sorry Day?

• Remember and acknowledge the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were forcibly removed from their families and communities, known as the Stolen Generations.
• Commemorate the date the landmark Bringing Them Home report was tabled in Federal Parliament in 1997, which gathered testimony from those affected by child‑removal policies.
• Reflect on the painful stories of the Stolen Generations, while also recognising the resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the power of saying sorry.
• Honour the ongoing impact of forced removal and the need for truth‑telling and healing.

What is Reconciliation Week? 

National Reconciliation Week runs annually from 27 May to 3 June. It is:

• A time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures and achievements, and to recommit to reconciliation and the fight for First Nations justice.
• Bookended by two major milestones:
  • 27 May 1967: the successful referendum that allowed the Commonwealth to make laws for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and included them in the Census.
  • 3 June 1992: the High Court Mabo decision, which recognised Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as Traditional Owners and led to Native Title.

• The theme for National Reconciliation Week 2026 is All In, a call for all Australians to commit wholeheartedly to reconciliation every single day.

   

   

• Reconciliation is not a spectator sport. Everyone must step away from the sidelines and take action to create change.
• Advancing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ rights is not a passive activity, and it is not solely the responsibility of First Nations people, who have carried the weight of championing, explaining and acting for far too long.
• Reconciliation will not happen by itself, and it will not happen without all of us.