National Reconciliation Week

Reconciliation Day Assembly 

Trixie Kneebone, Year 11, Ridgeway Campus

In celebration of Reconciliation Week, Ivanhoe Grammar School hosted a series of events to invite students to reflect on the meaning of Reconciliation, and the importance of acknowledging the first custodians of our land. 

Reconciliation Week is a week of reflection on Australia’s identity as a nation and recognising the strength and resilience of our First Nations people. It invites each of us as an Australian citizen to consider how we as a Nation can move forward from past wrongdoings, and how we can all contribute to reconciliation in our daily lives to achieve an equitable and reconciled Australia. 

Across the week, the SEC sold delicious wattleseed chocolate chip cookies made by the talented students in the IDEALS cooking stream to incorporate bush foods. On Thursday, a free dress day accompanied by BBQ lunch was run by a team of dedicated Year 12 students to raise money for the First Nations scholarship. On Friday, students were treated to a very special student-run Reconciliation assembly, where dance troup performed an innovative yet traditional dance routine about justice for Aboriginal deaths in custody and land rights. Ex- Essendon Bombers, now Western Bulldogs player, Courtney Ugle also delivered an inspiring speech about her journey as a First Nations woman overcoming racism and inequity to become the amazing sportswoman she is today. The assembly was a fantastic way to exemplify the values of Reconciliation week, and provided everyone with something to reflect on how they can contribute to a more just future for all Australians.