On Friday the 1st of August, St Mary’s Primary School, Scone celebrated NAIDOC week and it’s 50th anniversary, marking 50 years since the very first official NAIDOC Week was held in 1975.
To commemorate the key milestone, our whole school travelled out to Towarri National Park where students, staff and families had the opportunity to partake in a range of culturally based activities and workshops.
We began the day with a liturgy and a smoking ceremony led by Uncle Glen and Uncle Gary, followed by the marking of Ochre on the forehead of students. After this, the students moved to participate in a variety of workshops with their teachers and families, that were organised and run by our St Mary’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Students, “The Boomerang Bunch” after many weeks of research and planning with Aboriginal Worker, Miss Ruby Lloyd.
A rotation of workshops included the following:
- A boomerang workshop where students had the opportunity to learn about the importance of the boomerang and its many functions, followed by designing their own boomerang using traditional symbols. They listened to a local man of the Ngarabl Nation play the digeridoo and tell the stories of some Australian animals and learnt some traditional dance moves that represented the Wedge tail eagle, the totem for the local area.
- A music workshop in which students told the local Dreamtime story ‘The Wingen Maid’ through musical instruments.
- Dot painting on rocks, leaves, sticks and bark using traditional warm colours.
- Cooking workshop, learning the history of Johnny cakes and making and eating their own with jam, honey or golden syrup.
- ’Connection to Country’ workshop where a National Park Ranger educated the students on bush tucker and how they land was used in all aspects of life.
A key focus for the day was embodying the NAIDOC theme for 2025 ‘The Next Generation: Strength, Vision, Legacy’. Our students recognised that they were the next generation who must carry on the work of truth, justice and reconciliation. They acknowledged the strength of our Elders, ensuring they listen, learn and stand up; they recognised the vision for the culture – seeing a future where all people are treated fairly, respected and Country is cared for by all; and they followed the legacy left behind, remembering the stories and heroes who came before us, living in a way that makes the world better for others.
St Mary’s would like to extend their sincere thanks to the Aboriginal Community Development Fund, MACH Energy Mount Pleasant Operation for their generous support of the school event. Their significant funding made a meaningful difference, helping to create a memorable and successful experience for the school community and students.
