NAIDOC Week: Always was, Always Will Be

During Week 1 of Term 3, we celebrated NAIDOC (National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee) Week. NOTE: Just recently, the official NAIDOC Week was postponed until November, as a Covid-19 health precaution, however our College and many other schools continued with their July celebrations, which have been long in the making!

NAIDOC Week celebrates the history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The week is celebrated not just in the Indigenous communities but also in increasing numbers of government agencies, schools, local councils, and workplaces. Students enjoyed a range of fun and interesting activities, including:

Sharing stories

On Monday we met the girls as they entered the College with a ribbon or balloon in the Aboriginal colours of red (representing the earth), yellow (representing the sun), and black (representing the people). At lunchtime, we held a discussion group, where Drew Ferguson and Selena Brown from Sydney Catholic Schools and ex-student Liesl Heiss (2019) shared stories about their families and experiences growing up Aboriginal in Australia. It was very moving and we learned about kinship and spiritual identity.

Aboriginal dance workshop

On Tuesday, Ex-student Olivia Dennis (2018) conducted a workshop on Aboriginal dance. She taught us segments of her HSC major work, which expressed how the relationships she had forged enabled her to express her identity as an Aboriginal woman. It was great to see the joyous smiles of our students joining with Our Lady of Fatima primary school students as they waved their gum leaves in the air.

Water ceremony and public art project

On Wednesday, we were very privileged to have Emma Peel, her mother Denise and daughter Coral conduct a water ceremony and speak about their culture. They taught us about the different nations throughout Australia and the different languages and tools they use. They also worked with our Aboriginal students and Visual Arts Coordinator, Mrs Mary Hayman, to design and paint the water tanks in our Indigenous garden. It is a work in progress but it already looks spectacular.

Pebble painting workshop

On Thursday, we conducted a pebble painting workshop, where students decorated pebbles with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander symbols. We plan to incorporate these pebbles into our Indigenous artwork.

Indigenous jam tasting and Marngrook game

Finally, on Friday, Barry and Anthony cooked delicious pancakes donated by our generous students and we sampled a variety of Indigenous jams such as lilli-pilli, rosella, and finger-lime. We also watched a fun staff vs student game of Marngrook, a traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander game played with a possum-skin ball. The victory went to the staff.

A massive thank you to all involved in our NAIDOC Week celebrations, especially all the teachers and students who learned a little more about Aboriginal culture and identity.