Koorie activities
National Reconciliation Week at GSC
This week is National Reconciliation Week (NRW), an annual observance held across Australia from 27th May – 3rd June. NRW is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared history and explore how reconciliation can continue to grow between the wider Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Key Dates
26th May – National Sorry Day
A day dedicated to acknowledging and remembering the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who were forcibly removed from their families as part of the Stolen Generations.
27th May – 1967 Referendum Anniversary
Marks the anniversary of the 1967 Referendum, where Australians voted to include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the national census and remove discriminatory clauses from the Constitution.
3rd June – Mabo Day
Recognises the historic 1992 High Court decision that overturned the concept of terra nullius (“land belonging to no one”) and acknowledged the traditional ownership and connection to Country held by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The College is acknowledging National Reconciliation Week through a display in Wellbeing on the First Nations Wall featuring both the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags, information about NRW, and this year’s theme, "ALL IN" and how this connects to the College values of Respect, Achievement, Innovation and Diversity (RAID). Throughout the week, music by Indigenous artists will be played at bell times, and students can participate in colouring activities in Wellbeing centred around the NRW theme. The activities completed by our First Nations students leading into this week have strongly reflected the spirit of reconciliation, cultural learning and community connection.
For more information about National Reconciliation Week, please visit Reconciliation Australia.
Bush Tucker Cooking Workshop
On Monday 11th May, the College’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identifying students participated in a cooking incursion workshop. This workshop built on the Bush Tucker learning explored during 2025, giving students the opportunity to further engage with native Australian ingredients and their cultural significance. The aim of the program is to help students develop practical cooking skills while also increasing their understanding of how native ingredients can be used in contemporary cooking and everyday life.
During the session, students made wattleseed scones served with strawberry gum cream and riberry jam. Students participated enthusiastically, demonstrated excellent teamwork, and supported one another throughout the cooking activities. It was wonderful to see students from a wide range of year levels, from Years 7–12, involved in the workshop and connecting through a shared learning experience. While students thoroughly enjoyed both cooking and tasting their creations, staff were also treated to the delight of sampling the delicious scones.
Bush Tucker Garden Project
On 20th May, the First Nations students also completed the school’s Bush Tucker Garden. Located between G and H Block in the Wellbeing and Inclusion Garden, the new Bush Tucker Garden features three garden beds filled with beautiful native edible plants. These include Mountain Pepper, Saltbush, Finger Limes, Lemon Myrtle, Bush Basil and many more. The plants will be carefully maintained to ensure they continue to grow well and can later be incorporated into cooking classes across the College, helping to embed Indigenous knowledge and traditional cooking practices into the curriculum. Students took part in planting the herbs, weeding the yarning circle area, painting the garden beds with symbols and images meaningful to them, and tasting some of the native ingredients they would like to use in future cooking activities.
A big thank you to OMNIA Health and Sunbury Aboriginal Corporation for funding our Bush Tucker Garden and the activities associated with it.
We would also like to sincerely thank the following people at the College for helping bring this project to life. We could not have achieved this without your support and contributions:
- Ms Tavares-Green
- Wendy Evans
- Mr Maxwell
- Mr Race
- VCE-VM students
- Building and Construction students
- Rose Green
- Project Ready students
- Mrs Phillips
- Maintenance and Facilities team
