SCEGGS Reconciliation Action Plan

We have been extremely fortunate to have Aunty Kath Farrawell working with the whole school to produce three beautiful artworks that will be hung on the walls of our school. These completed artworks were presented to Ms Allum in the Week 6 Assembly. It was wonderful to have Aunty Kath, Aunty Viv and Year 12 student Gagara Farrawell present at our Assembly.

The first artwork ‘Celebrating’ was introduced to the school during the NAIDOC Week Assembly in Week 3 of Term 3 to commemorate the NAIDOC 2023 theme of ‘For Our Elders’. Aunty Kath’s artwork tells us that “Our Elders old and young teach us to walk our dreams”. The Student RAP committee members dotted the yellow, purple, and pink colours at the feet of the Dancers to symbolise the native hibiscus flowers that grow wild all over Australia. These flowers remember our ‘Stolen Generations’ with Love, Respect and Hope.

The second artwork is titled ‘Let Your Light Shine’. This work includes the fingerprint of all the students in the school. Aunty Kath notes that “these colourful fingerprints represent a rainbow of hope over our Mother Earth. The gold glitter on each fingerprint is for togetherness in learning, to make change for Voice and Equality. The shining glitter of light encircles the Heart with the lines from the North, South, East and West with respect on Gadigal Land”. The hands in each corner of the painting are those of Ms Allum, Mr Lee-Lindsay, Aunty Vivian and Aunty Kath.

The third artwork titled ‘Always was, Always Will be, Aboriginal Land’ includes the handprints of each of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students at SCEGGS in 2023. Aunty Kath says, “these are the Students Spiritual light hands from their Belonging Homelands of  Gamilaroi, Wiradjuri, Murrawarri, Yukunjara, Adnymathana, Dharwal, Yuan, Bundjalung, Birri Wirri, and Kaanju”.

Huge thanks to Aunty Kath, Aunty Viv, the Student RAP Committee and the Art Department for all the work they have done to bring these gorgeous works of art to life.

Heidi Anderson and Zoe Thompson
Co-convenors, SCEGGS RAP Committee