NAIDOC Week Celebrations

NAIDOC Week (National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee) is celebrated annually in July, highlighting the important historical and cultural contributions of Indigenous communities.  It’s a time to reflect on the rich traditions, languages, art, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, as well as to acknowledge their resilience and the challenges they have overcome.

Last week SCEGGS held their own NAIDOC week celebrations and had the opportunity to come together as a school community to celebrate, learn, engage and participate in a variety of activities in relation to this years theme, For Our Elders.

Uncle Allen Madden, a respected Gadigal Elder and cultural representative for the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council opened our celebrations with a Welcome to Country during Monday Morning’s NAIDOC Week Assembly. We also had the pleasure of welcoming and listening to Aunty Kath Farawell a proud Kaanju-Birri woman. She shared with us some of her stories and how she connected with people through her art.

In this Assembly we also had the privilege to listen to the SCEGGS Choir perform the opening song of the Spinifex Gum concert. In June the SCEGGS Choir, partnered with Sydney Symphony Orchestra to present the song cycle Spinifex Gum in the Concert Hall of Sydney Opera House. This sold-out concert featured the Cairns based ensemble Marliya which is made up of Aboriginal and Torres Strait teenage female singers. Spinifex Gum is a modern Australian work addressing the issues of indigenous social disparity, deaths in custody, disproportionate incarceration and land rights. It was a powerful and engaging performance and enjoyed by all at the Assembly.

After the Assembly the Student RAP committee met with Aunty Kath to discuss their vision of an ongoing whole school art project. We look forward to working closely with Aunty Kath over the coming months to see this project through. 

Throughout the week there were many different celebrations and engagement in cultural activities including:

• A Dance workshop run by the Brolga Dance Academy. Jodie and Tingha led Year 8, Year 9 Drama and the Primary school in both traditional and contemporary storytelling and dance. The girls learnt language associated with traditional stories and connected with culture through body movement and song.
• Many Form classes reflected on the meaning of ‘Elders’ in our society and the important role they play in imparting knowledge, wisdom and culture to future generations.
• The school cafeteria featured a number of Indigenous food items/ingredients for sale throughout the week including lemon myrtle and white chocolate muffins, Davidson Plum and raspberry muffins, damper with coastal rosemary, turkish bread with salt bush and native cherry tomatoes and pepper berry brioche. Menus were designed to accompany these dishes by students attending our Cape York and Top End Immersions in September.
• Our Immersion students have also been busy in their spare time making scrunchies from endorsed Aboriginal printed materials to sell as part of their fundraising efforts. On Friday they ran a ‘scrunchie stall’ and were able to make $355. The funds raised will help provide the materials for the community projects in the Top End and Cape York.
• The week concluded with a number of smoking ceremonies led by members of the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council. Uncle Raymond and Uncle Brandon explained the significance and healing powers of traditional smoking ceremonies and it was a privilege for all the SCEGGS Community to participate in this ancient custom.

Overall, it was a wonderful week of celebration and experiences that have not only brought us closer to the rich heritage of our First Nations peoples but have also united us in a common vision — a vision of a future where respect, reconciliation, and collaboration flourish.

Heidi Anderson and Zoe Thompson
Co-Chairs of the RAP Committee