NAIDOC Week 2019
NAIDOC originally stood for ‘National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee’. This committee was once responsible for organising national activities during NAIDOC Week and its acronym has since become the name of the week itself.
NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia each July to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC is celebrated not only in Indigenous communities, but by Australians from all walks of life. Recently, our College assembly was an opportunity for our community to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of our nations first peoples.
Indigenous Dance: Kingswood Park P.S.
On Thursday 4th July a number of our Indigenous students attended Kingswood Park Primary School to be part of their NAIDOC Celebrations. Under the guidance of Nulungu Dreaming’s Jesse McInnes, students took part in a traditional Smoking Ceremony and Corrobboree. It was fantastic to see our students assisting the junior students and integrating with them throughout the dances. The young men represented themselves, College and Culture with immense pride. I would like to thank Jesse from Nulungu Dreaming for his continued efforts with our students and the staff and students from Kingswood Park Public School for inviting us to attend the celebration.
NAIDOC Week – Smoking Ceremony & College Assembly
On Wednesday the 24th July, the College came together to celebrate NAIDOC week. The morning commenced with a Smoking Ceremony. All staff and students of the College were invited to walk through the smoke prior to entering the Br Warner Hall. Jesse McIness led the smoking explaining the significance of the occasion and accompanying this with a traditional songline. Both Jayke Searle and Cooper Hill did a fantastic job in leading the assembly. Cooper captured the theme of NAIDOC week in his speech to the whole school (speech below). One of the features of the assembly was our junior Indigenous students performing traditional dance for the first time in front of the College. Students had been practicing for four weeks towards the end of Term 2 and showed plenty of courage and pride in displaying their culture through the variety of dances. The morning concluded with a morning tea for our parents and guests. Thank you to the entire College community for the respect and support shown on the day for an important occasion.
The Theme- Voice, Treaty, Truth
By Cooper Hill (Year 11)
Today’s assembly is to celebrate 2019’s NAIDOC week. The theme this year revolves around the words Voice, Treaty and Truth. This combination of words invites all of us as Australians to walk together towards a better future.
Voice stems from the Indigenous voice of this country that has been around for over 65,000yrs. These are the first words spoken on this continent, and the languages have been passed down, bringing with them the culture, hopes, knowledge and ambitions of Indigenous Australians. These words connect all of us to our country and reveal the understanding of all Indigenous teachings.
Indigenous voice has sadly been oppressed for many years, but by teaching Australians about the truth of our past and encouraging all of us to use our voices for the improvement of our nation, we can come to some true reconciliation and genuine healing for all.
Still to this day, Indigenous people are pushing for their voice to be heard, and for their own selves to be acknowledged. Australia is one of the few liberal democracies around the world which still does not have treaties or some other kind of formal acknowledgement with its Indigenous minorities. Because of this, Indigenous people are continuing to feel invalid and subdued. The only way to combat this is to realise and own the past and use what is has taught us to continue to better our society.
The Voice, Treaty and Truth theme of 2019 intertwines all these elements regarding Indigenous and Torres Straight Islander efforts to strive for a positive future. Our stories must be told, heard and acknowledged in order to, as a nation, work together in building a future that we are not only proud of, but happy to know we were a part of it.
AIME Continues
A reminder that AIME mentoring continues for Indigenous students in Years 7-12 each Wednesday from 3-4pm in the A206. This is great opportunity for students to receive extra assistance with homework, assessment tasks and revision. Students are encouraged to make the most of the initiative and attend.
AIME program days will take place on the following dates this year:
Program Day 2: August 30th
Program Day 3: October 18th
*A reminder that students are required to attend a minimum of two tutor squad afternoons per term to be able to attend these days.
Mr R Peake – Indigenous Education Coordinator
