Naidoc Day 2016

NAIDOC is all about celebrating Aboriginal and Islander people, their culture and their achievements.

This year, TPS held another very successful NAIDOC Day. Students and their families, and staff, were able to start the day with a yummy, healthy breakfast which included muffins, yoghurt, fruit salad, fruit pieces, apple and orange juice. A coffee van was organised for the adults.

After the Telstra funded breakfast, there was a special assembly where two senior Wurundjeri elders, Uncle Ian Hunter and Aunty Doreen Garvey-Wandin, as well as another Wurundjeri woman, Rebecca Axford, were introduced to the whole school. Aunty Doreen has accepted the invitation to be the school’s Wurundjeri Patron. We look forward to developing a long and close relationship with Aunty Doreen, and learning lots about Wurundjeri people, culture and history, from her.

At the assembly, we also celebrated the wonderful achievements of the grade 3/4 Koorie students, as they graduated from the MALPA Bubup (Young) Doctors Program. Young Doctors is a health leadership program through which these students learned about leadership, hygiene, health literacy, nutrition and environmental

health. After the assembly, Uncle Ian Hunter performed a smoking ceremony. Throughout the rest of the day, all of the students were involved in lots of fun activities, such as, fence weaving (check out the huge Aboriginal flag on the back fence), games, dance, storytelling, drama, and some art activities.

To end the day, we were treated to a dance performance by Robert Bamblett and his two sons, RJ and Manarra, both of whom are students at our school.

Many thanks to all who were involved in the preparations and the smooth running of the whole event. It was a day that was thoroughly enjoyed by all!

Indigenous Events Committee