Reconciliation Action Plan News 

Relationships/Classroom – Elders and Traditional Owners Share Histories and Cultures

Aunty Wendal Pitchford

Last Friday a significant member of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Community, and cherished Aunty to staff member Jamie Graham-Blair passed away. 

Aunty Wendal Pitchford was a palawa Elder and a nationally recognised Frontier Wars advocate. She is one of lutruwita/Tasmania’s nominees for Senior Australian of the Year in 2023, who over many years has worked closely with the Tasmanian RSL to establish a Frontier Wars Memorial on the Queen’s Domain near the Cenotaph. She has also spent many years working with disenfranchised and at-risk youth through various programs, including drug and alcohol abuse support, trauma, and assault support, as well as on-country therapy. Holding cultural titles of healer, muttonbirder, cook, ceremony holder, matriarch, and knowledge keeper, the loss of Aunty Wendal will be felt by the community for years to come.

In the context of our school community, Aunty Wendal was a key supporter of the Cultural Developments within our tunapri makuminya Project, working closely with us over the last few years to create a permanent memorial in our Children’s Peace Garden to remember the children who suffered, and still suffer, the trauma and consequences of all wars. Aunty Wendal was a special guest at our inaugural Treaty Match in 2021, tossing the coin to begin play, and she passed away during the same hour that we recognised this year’s Treaty Match players at our Awards Assembly last week. 

At this time, we send our heartfelt condolences to Jamie and his family, to the members of our Reconciliation Action Plan Working Group and to the palawa community of lutruwita/Tasmania and the tayaritja/Furneaux Islands. This is a huge loss which we hope we can honour in our continued conversations and actions regarding truth telling, healing, treaty, land back, and reconciliation here in lutruwita.