NAIDOC Week Celebrations
Haileybury Rendall School joined together as a community to celebrate NAIDOC Week.
The events were coordinated by Mr Ian Smith, our Head of Aboriginal Community Relations, creating a special week of early celebrations to join with our First Nations students and staff in acknowledging their heritage and culture.
The theme of NAIDOC Week this year is ‘Always Was, Always Will Be’, recognising the First Nations people who have occupied and cared for this continent for over 65,000 years.
We began with a Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony which was overseen by Tony and Trent Lee, of Larrakia Nation. The beauty of this year’s ceremony was the involvement of our Larrakia staff member, Ms Kristy Hayes and Larrakia students James and Natayaha Hill, Milla Fracaro, Lakhyah Hill, Lalwa May, Ebanie Wauchope and Teleisha Cubillo.
Students were reminded of the significance of the ceremony and the ancient origins of these practices. The respect shown throughout the ceremony was a wonderful way to set the tone for the week’s activities.
The ELC students shared in Indigenous Literacy Day by watching the broadcast on YouTube. The students learnt a new song about barramundi, cockatoos, wallabies and buffaloes, listened to a story and saw all the wonderful children from the Tiwi Islands and learnt how they learn to read and write like our ELC students
The Middle School students prepared kangaroo stew, damper and billy tea, as well as performed at the Middle School Assembly. Special thanks to the Year 9 Food Technology class, Year 7/8 Ochre classes and Year 8/9 Ochre classes for their contributions.
Students and teachers were treated to a lunchtime music festival from the Year 9 Ochre and VCAL bands! Along with the VCAL DJs, the students performed live music shows, showcasing their skills and a repertoire of contemporary and classic rock music.
Annual events such as NAIDOC Week help inform our wider community and bring a sense of great pride to our Aboriginal cohort. We thank all staff who organised events for our students and we look forward to these celebrations again next year.
