Keeping the Fire Burning: NAIDOC Week at SCEGGS

Keeping the Fire Burning: NAIDOC Week at SCEGGS

Next week, SCEGGS will be celebrating NAIDOC Week with a rich variety of cultural offerings.  NAIDOC Week is a week of celebration for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and has also become a significant event in the Australian calendar. This year’s theme is: Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud.

The National NAIDOC Committee have said, “This year’s theme celebrates the unyielding spirit of our communities and invites all to stand in solidarity, amplifying the voices that have long been silenced.”

NAIDOC week is held in the first week of July but because this falls in the school holidays, next week will be the opportunity for students and teachers to come together and engage with Aboriginal culture in meaningful ways.

  • On Monday and Tuesday Brolga Dancers will lead Primary School students in lessons where they will have the chance to learn contemporary Aboriginal dance. Year 9 Drama will also participate in a special workshop relating to their recent study.
  • On Wednesday at Recess the student RAP Committee will be selling Dreamtime Tukka cookies and iced tea made from Indigenous ingredients. Cookies will be $2 with proceeds to support a local Aboriginal organisation.
  • Throughout the week the PE department are running an Indigenous Games interhouse sports contest over lunch.
  • All week the school canteen will offer morning tea with Indigenous ingredients included in them.
  • On Friday every year group will participate in a traditional smoking ceremony. Opportunity to engage in this ceremony, conducted by respected community members, is a real privilege for our staff and students.
  • Other experiences have been prepared by some classroom teachers relating to individual subjects. The Gujaga Foundation will be running a workshop with Year 10 students about the recent repatriation of the Gweagal spears.

NAIDOC Week is a time to come together, learn, and celebrate the vibrant cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We look forward to seeing everyone participate in and enjoy the activities planned!

Sarah Kearney
Co-ordinator of Indigenous Education