Always Was, Always Will Be

The 2020 NAIDOC theme - Always Was, Always Will Be - recognises that First Nations people have occupied and cared for this continent for over 65,000 years.

Traditionally held in what for us is usually the July school holidays, one of the unexpected positive outcomes in this COVID-19 year was the shift of this week of celebration to the new date: 8 - 15 November. This allowed us to engage students in recognising NAIDOC through cultural activities and actions for the first time. 

Our students continued to follow in the footsteps of their ancestors by caring for country. One such action took place over the space of an hour…in the dark of the evening, students worked alongside Bunuba Rangers to collect over 50 cane toads from around the back of the school.  Quite an achievement!  This has become a regular night time event for our environmental warriors. Other highlights of the week included our NAIDOC film festival where Aboriginal filmmakers and films were showcased; a fantastic evening with Kankawa Nagarra (Olive Knight), who played the blues for us and shared more wonderful stories; a bush tucker night with fresh kangaroo tail stew, barramundi, bush turkey and goanna; bush bracelet making and dying of fabrics using bush dyes, led by Bunuba and Gooniyandi elders; and a morning working side-by-side with staff and students from the Fitzroy Valley District High School to provide fun workshops for primary-school aged students and where we listened to June Oscar remind us all that for thousands of years, Aboriginal people have been the scientists, the navigators, the farmers, the artists and the diplomats.  

At the Yiramalay/Wesley Studio School we continuously celebrate the rich history, diverse cultures, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the oldest continuing cultures on the planet. We acknowledge that this nation’s story began at the dawn of time and not with the documented European contact. The very first footprints on this continent were those belonging to First Nations peoples and we continue to ensure we trend lightly on this precious Bunuba country, as we support students to take pride in their heritage, history, and identity.

Felicity Pearson, Director (Acting)