Reconciliation Week
Reconciliation Week is a time of immense significance for our school community, as we come together to honour and commemorate the journey towards healing and understanding between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. This year, our school took great pride in organizing a series of thought-provoking and engaging events during Reconciliation Week. Through these initiatives, we aimed to foster awareness, respect, and unity among our students, staff and the wider community. Let's take a moment to reflect on the meaningful events that transpired, bringing us closer to a shared future.
Our week began last Friday 26 May when we held a Reconciliation Week Assembly commemorating National Sorry Day. Sabella Turner, a Central Arrernte Traditional Owner, gave a Welcome to Country. In her address, she spoke about what Reconciliation meant to her and provided some advice on how we can begin to work towards it in our own lives. During the assembly, students also explained the purpose of Reconciliation Week and outlined the events that were to take place.
Throughout the week, we participated in activities during Tutor Group and in our long breaks. Monday, in Tutor Group, students explored the history behind the 1967 Referendum and learned more about the symbolism behind the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flags. During the long break, students played Edor, an Indigenous game from Queensland, similar to Tag.
On Tuesday, students were encouraged to write their own Acknowledgement of Country during Tutor Group and then during our long break students volunteered to play music on the oval. We featured music by Indigenous artists to celebrate the contributions made by First Nations Peoples to the arts.
Wednesday, we came together as a whole school community to create a Sea of Hands to show solidarity with Reconciliation efforts all throughout Australia. During Tutor Group, students traced their hands and were asked to think about how they could work towards reconciliation in their own lives. We wanted students to think about actions they could take such as learning an Indigenous language, further educating themselves on Indigenous issues, or Acknowledging Country. The hands were then placed on our quad in the shape of an Aboriginal flag to serve as a monument of our commitment.
Thursday saw our school welcome members from the community to speak with our students. We welcomed guests such as Will Santo from the Salvation Army, Jazz Jones speaking on behalf of U Right Sis, and Natasha McCormack a Special Project Officer for Central Land Council. The panel spoke about what their organizations were doing to work towards Reconciliation, what Reconciliation meant to them, and provided suggestions for how students can become involved in the work of Reconciliation. We thank our panellists for their time and for the insights that they shared with our community.
On Friday, staff and students gave their time to create delicious treats to sell during our long and short breaks. All the proceeds of the sale will go to the Pertame School. Pertame is an endangered Indigenous language with approximately 20-30 fluent speakers left. Elder Christobel Swan’s dream is to preserve her culture through the preservation of her language. We hope that the money raised for the school can help to make this dream a reality.
St Philip’s College is dedicated to working towards Reconciliation so that we can achieve greater outcomes for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. Our hope is that through these activities students will have had an opportunity to grow in their understanding of Reconciliation and reflect on what actions they can take in their own lives.
~ Santino Merino and Stacey Gill
Teacher