Throughout Reconciliation Week our school community was busy with numerous celebrations of Indigenous culture.

During the week in the grounds of the school we had beautiful bollards on display. These were made by our Year 9 students earlier this year as apart of their retreat.

Each student researched a prominent Indigenous Australian and created the works to tell their chosen individuals story.

We have also been lucky enough to be gifted the artwork below

by Nicky Winmar, former Australian rules footballer, graciously donated the following artwork to the College.

Monday: Social Justice Conference at ACU

Social Justice Conference

On Monday 27th May senior students attended the Student Social Justice Conference held at Australian Catholic University. The day is designed for students with a passion for Social Justice. Reflecting Reconciliation Week, the keynote speaker reflected on the life and justice work of William Cooper, a Yorta Yorta man who fought for indigenous rights and representation in the Australian Parliament. His legacy has inspired the following generations of activists to work for justice for Indigenous Australians.

Students also got a taste for the principles of Catholic Social Teaching by attending a number of workshops involving different social agencies. The students are excited to share with PCW their ideas on how to advocate for justice and promote the dignity of every human being.

Tuesday:

Year 10 Retreat

Our year 10 students joined Wurundjeri leaders in the Birrarung Wilam walk along the Yarra River and the Aboriginal Heritage walk at the Botanic Gardens. The students were immersed in Koori history in and around Melbourne as well as being welcomed to country in a smoking ceremony at the Botanic Gardens.

At the heart of reconciliation is the relationship between the Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The Year 10 Retreat gave students the opportunity to build upon this relationship by listening to and learning about Indigenous culture, language, history and stories through the eyes of young Indigenous men and women.

Wednesday:

Reconciliation Week Assembly

The assembly began with an Acknowledgement of Country before welcoming the Wurundjeri womens dance group Djirri Djirri

The Djirri Djirri dance group began in 2013 and are the only Wurundjeri woman's dance group and only female group who sings in Woiwurrung.

All of the dances have a story about creation, family and Country. The performance was moving and our students loved having the chance to get up and participate.

The assembly then concluded with a statement of commitment to justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Thank you to the Djirri Djirri dance group for making our Reconciliation Week Assembly so special.

Thursday:

BBQ Fundraiser

The social justice group held a BBQ at lunch time to raise money for ‘Open the Doors’ Foundation who support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Families in Victoria with Educational funding.

Friday:

Indigenous Soldiers Remembrance Ceremony at the Shrine of Remembrance

Our Year 9 History students attended this special remembrance ceremony that honours the Indigenous soldiers who fought for our country but for so long were never recognised for their service and sacrifice. We will lay a wreath on behalf of the Presentation Community.

Student Reflections:

Shrine of Remembrance Visit

"On Friday 31st June a group of 10 students and Ms Borrman went to the Shrine of Remembrance to remember the war service of aboriginal service men and women.

During the service we were welcomed by Aunty Dot Peters, Chair of the Victorian Aboriginal Remembrance Committee as well as being welcomed to the Shrine by Air Vice Marshal Chris Spence AO, Chairman of the Shrine of Remembrance Trustees.

There were performances by Dhungala Children’s Choir and they performed “Yarran Ngarnga Yinga” / “My Country” and “Eumeralla, a war requiem for peace”. Mr Shane Charles played his didgeridoo. All of these performances were very moving.

One of the guest speakers was Kirra Grimes from the Australian Army and she explained her experience in the Australian Army. Kirra outlined how racism had impacted on her journey in the army but also how the army gave her many leadership opportunities and has made her a stronger individual.

The experience was very interesting and educating in learning more about what the Aboriginal people did in war service. The Remembrance Service was to recognise the work and effort of the aboriginal people. The ceremony spreads awareness of the injustices evident to the aboriginal service soldiers. We learned about aboriginal music and the dances and their war experiences. We laid down a wreath as a thank you."

- Kate Damman

Year 9 Loyola

Year 10 Retreat

In the morning the group I was in went of a guided tour of Birrarung Wilam walk and Koori Heritage centre. We were taken down along the Birrarung (Yarra) river and learnt the origin stories of the river and other sites of Melbourne. We learnt about traditional weapons and how they were crafted to be suitable for the use. After lunch we attended a Welcome to Country Smoke Ceremony and Aboriginal Heritage Walk by Wurundjeri Elders. During the smoking ceremony we learnt about the purposes and meanings of all the different branches used in the ceremony. On the heritage walk we learnt about how Aboriginal utilised the land.

It was an all round great day, it was really enriching to learn about Aboriginal culture and spirituality outside of the classroom and gave us a deeper understanding of the land.

Lula Tolley

Year 10 Loyola

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