Our National Reconciliation Week celebrations commenced on a very cold, frosty Monday morning. Following a Welcome to Country greeting and Smoking Ceremony, the Indigenous flag was raised to the top of the Witherby Tower. Eight of our Indigenous students performed two contemporary Indigenous dances. It was testament to the level of respect for Indigenous culture that the dances were closely watched in silence by the entire student body at each campus, and received with warm and vocal enthusiasm.
Numerous other events took place at Senior School throughout the week, organised by the 2019 Reconciliation Committee, led by Indigenous student convenors Jack Mifsud and Kyle Collins (both Year 12).
On Wednesday, the guest speaker at the Reconciliation Assembly was journalist and author Martin Flanagan, who spoke about the importance to our country of Indigenous heritage.
In Chapel, Ariki Lowe and Jack Peris in Year 10 spoke about some of the injustices inflicted upon Indigenous people in the past. They ended by encouraging all people to share their stories, listen and make friends with one another.
The guest speaker at the Wadhurst assembly was Aunty Faye Stewart Muir, from the Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages, who spoke to the boys about her role: gaining as much understanding as possible of the more than 200 Indigenous languages across Australia. A major effort is under way to ensure that these languages survive.
Teachers Lachlan Toose and Shelley Faulds commented on Reconciliation Week at Grimwade House: “Learning about the history and culture of First Nations People was thoroughly embraced by the Grimwade House community during the week.
From Prep to Year 6, the students built an understanding of the peoples and culture of this land, and learned of their kinship, community and beliefs. Examples include the 2008 Apology to Australia’s Indigenous People, exploring the concepts of sustainability behind Bush Tucker and explaining ‘The Statement of the Heart’. It was incredible to see the students show a deep respect for the need for reconciliation.”
This is a fantastic initiative, supported by students and the Melbourne Grammar School community. Well done to all involved.
Reconciliation means restoration of friends. It is recognised as a week to reflect on our history. It is also a week to celebrate Indigenous culture and to increase our understanding and become more respectful of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.