As part of our NAIDOC Week celebrations, we had the privilege of welcoming Auntie Bridgette Chilli Davis to lead our school in a powerful and moving Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony (Jhdungah) to open the Outdoor Classroom. It was particularly special, as she shared it was the first ceremony of its kind, she’s been aware of at our school in over 50 years—a truly significant milestone in our journey of understanding, acknowledging, and celebrating NAIDOC Week and indigenous culture.
This is particularly special as a Smoking Ceremony (Jhdungah) is one of the oldest ceremonies in the world that is still being practiced. Auntie Bridgette is a Gubbi Gubbi Elder who came to Welcome us to her Country and performed this sacred ceremony. What an amazing way to celebrate NAIDOC Week it was.
A heartfelt thank you to Auntie Bridgette for sharing her cultural knowledge with our school community and to Dani Jones and her incredible team for coordinating this historic and deeply meaningful event. It was an honour for all who attended to witness and be part of such an important moment in our school’s story.
This Outdoor Classroom is a space recently upgraded with help of Super Darren the Groundsman and Arthur Conlon (Wakka Wakka/ Kulilla artist). It is now a space that classes can book and use to their hearts content! The concrete slab has been turned into a mural/handball court for breaktime games. It's going to be such a useable and lovely space that I'm excited to share with you all.
Our students also enjoyed a cultural performance – “Murri Island Girl” - as part of NAIDOC celebrations. We were very lucky to have Majeda Beatty share her Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island culture with us through music. Our students were very engaged and learnt a lot from the experience. Thank you Majeda.
