EMC Alumni 

ALUMNI -WE NEED YOU! 

Dear EMC Alumni

On December 17, 2025 Mrs Jodie Ashby (Acting Principal) announced that College Council unanimously voted to support a proposal put forward by the Koorie Education and Engagement team to begin a process to rename our College sub schools – a significant step aligned with Victoria’s direction on truth telling, Treaty, and reconciliation.

In line with the Victorian Government’s policy that all new public schools be named using First Nations languages, and guided by our College’s Reconciliation Action Plan, this initiative will ensure our sub school names reflect local Aboriginal culture, identity, and Country and respect cultural protocol. This change is about honouring truth, strengthening cultural understanding, and celebrating the diversity and history of the land on which we learn and work.

We are now seeking Expressions of Interest to join the Sub School Renaming Working Group, which will help lead this important project.

About the project

This renaming initiative is not just about new names, it’s about a respectful, community process that brings together Traditional Owners, families, students, and staff to shape a new chapter in our College story.

The process includes:

• Engagement with Traditional Owners to guide cultural protocol, language use, and naming integrity
• Consultation with students, staff, families, alumni, and the wider school community
• Research and development of names rooted in local Aboriginal language and identity
• Education and legacy storytelling, acknowledging the importance of our past while moving forward
• A celebratory launch that promotes understanding, connection, and pride in our new sub school identities

This work will be embedded within broader conversations about reconciliation at Elisabeth Murdoch College and the Victorian Department of Education’s ongoing commitment to truth telling and First Nations representation in school environments.

About the working group

As a working group member, you will:

• Help shape the consultation and naming process in collaboration with Traditional Owners
• Ensure the work reflects the values of cultural integrity, inclusiveness, and student identity
• Contribute to community engagement, communication, and education planning
• Provide advice on legacy storytelling and the rollout of the new sub school identities

Working group team members will comprise of representations of:

• College Council (including parent and student representatives)
• Koorie Education and Engagement team members
• School leadership team
• Department of Education Koorie Education Workforce (eg KESOs)
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff, students and families including alumni
• EMC Alumni

The commitment to the working group involves:

• Approximately 2 hours per fortnight (meetings/reviewing material)
• Meetings usually held during standard staff working hours (between 8am and 4.30pm) with the flexibility to attend online if unable to attend in person.  
• No set day for meetings, to allow for flexibility around staff schedules to reduce operational impact on teaching where applicable
• Begin in Term 1, 2026 and continue through to completion of the project (a full timeline of the project will be shared with the working group)

To express your interest

Please reply by email to lindsay.dare@education.vic.gov.au by Friday 30 January, 2026, including:

• A short statement about your interest in joining
• Any relevant experience or perspective you bring
• Your connection to reconciliation, cultural inclusion, or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identity and/or community (if applicable)

This is a unique opportunity to be part of a meaningful project to bring in new chapter in our College story, that strengthens our commitment to reconciliation and celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.