Be Brave. Make Change
NATIONAL RECONCILIATION WEEK, 27 May – 3 June 2022
Ref., https://nrw.reconciliation.org.au/
National Reconciliation Week is an important week for all Australians. The theme this year, ‘Be Brave. Make Change.’, is a challenge for all of us, to continue to stand up and make the changes we need to unite all Australians. This year the theme is asking all of us to be brave in our daily lives, to be brave and make change wherever we are, during work, school, play, socialising and in the community.
This is also an important time to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore and recognise how each and every one of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation; and to the very fabric of who we are, as Australians.
The beautiful images for this year’s theme are a ‘collection of bold, brave characters brought to life by contemporary Torres Strait Islander illustrator, Tori-Jay Morday, who shows some of the different faces of Australians working for a just and equal society. They are a visual reminder that reconciliation is everybody’s business’.
This year our students will be involved in age appropriate activities within their year groups during next week, to help them to understand, appreciate and respect the significance of National Reconciliation Week.
NATIONAL SORRY DAY, 26 May 2022
Ref. https://www.health.gov.au/news/national-sorry-day-26-may-2022
The inaugural National Sorry Day was held on 26 May 1998.
On this day we remember and acknowledge the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were forcibly removed from their families and communities, which we now know as ‘The Stolen Generations’. National Sorry Day is a day to acknowledge the strength of Stolen Generations Survivors and reflect on how we can all share in the healing process.
The theme of National Reconciliation Week, ‘Be Brave. Make Change.’, is also asking us to tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation, and the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
NATIONAL NAIDOC WEEK, 3-10 July 2022
Ref., https://www.naidoc.org.au/
NAIDOC Week stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. Its origin can be traced to the emergence of Aboriginal groups in the 1920s which sought to increase awareness in the wider community of the status and treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. Because NAIDOC Week always falls in the middle of the Winter school holiday we usually do not plan our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander celebrations around this week (we usually plan our whole school celebration in National Reconciliation Week), however this year our school will be celebrating on the first Friday of Term 3, closer to NAIDOC Week. We will share details of this day in our newsletters early in Term 3.
We are thankful to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their ancestors, we express our sincere gratitude to those who reside here, and we honour the Indigenous people who have lived and worked on this land historically and presently. We honour the traditions and legacy of the Mura-Ora-Dial people who have cared for the place on which our school stands, and we thank those who have cared so well for the land that we now share.
Mrs Janelle Ford
Co-Principal
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