Student Activities

National Reconciliation Week 

National Reconciliation Week (NRW) started as the Week of Prayer for Reconciliation in 1993 (the International Year of the World’s Indigenous People) and was supported by Australia’s major faith communities. In 1996, the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation launched Australia’s first ‘National Reconciliation Week’. In 2000, Reconciliation Australia was established to continue to provide national leadership on reconciliation. In the same year, approximately 300,000 people walked across Sydney Harbour Bridge as part of NRW, showing support for the reconciliation process.

Today NRW is celebrated by communities, businesses and individuals at thousands of events across Australia. 

Last week  Koonung SC invited Yorta Yorta man, Corey Atkinson, to share  his views on indigenous culture and reconciliation. Set out below we have some feedback from our students: 

 Last Monday we had a special indigenous guest come in and talk to Koonung  students at assembly. His name was Corey Atkinson. He came to talk about reconciliation and respecting people for who they are. He was also trying to start the conversation between Indigenous Australians and the rest of the community.

Corey brought in his own didgeridoo and played two songs for us, one at the beginning and one at the end to finish his speech off. It seemed like a stereotypical thing for an aboriginal to play, but once he told about his cultural traditions and that being able to play a didgeridoo is an honour in his culture, I respected that and listened to the music.

The didgeridoo is handcrafted by the men when they come of age, presumably at 18. Something that shocked me at first was when Corey talked about how only men could play and hold the didgeridoo and that the boomerangs were for women. Also if an indigenous woman did hold or play the didgeridoo they would not be able to have children later on in life.

The women are normally the ones singing  while the men play the didgeridoo. The didgeridoo is hand-crafted and is made entirely from wood. 

After Corey gave his speech I went to the morning tea and we discussed the topic for quite a while. We realised that only men being able to hold the didgeridoo was not sexist, but just the way things were done back then, 40,000 years ago.

In the indigenous culture everyone must be respectful to each other, because this is part of the indigenous tradition.

I really enjoyed the assembly and I got a lot out of it. I really hope as a Koonung community that we can move forward and start the conversation with the indigenous.

Caleb Deluca 7F

Umoja Fundraiser 

Last Friday the SRC and Leadership team organised a Free Dress Day with activities to promote Umoja and raise money for this amazing cause. Umoja (meaning "unity" in Swahili)  was set up to provide a sanctuary for homeless survivors of violence against women  and an education for young girls.  

We would like to thank Mrs Howe for her support and everyone who provided food for the Bake Sale and a very special thank you to David Winter of Breadstreet (Hamilton Street, Mont Albert) for his very generous  donation of products for the sale. 

Thank you also to the very entertaining teacher band, "Saturday Detention" who provided the entertainment during lunchtime. 

Dana Kirimof & Vanessa Ponza