THIS IMAGE : AIDEN JOHNSON AND CALEB NANCARROW ( BOTH YEAR 12 ).
RIGHT : KOBE WILLIAMS ( YEAR 10 ), CALEB NANCARROW ( YEAR 12 ), JACK ISON ( YEAR 12 ), AIDEN JOHNSON ( YEAR 12 ) AND DION WHITFIELD ( SCHOOL CAPTAIN )
NATIONAL RECONCILIATION WEEK
SMALL STEPS TODAY POWER GIANT LEAPS TOMORROW
starting to get into university – getting fulltime jobs , buying their first house . These are our current realities .
In 2023 , we are just seeing many firsts happen within Aboriginal families . My questions to you are : Do you have the willingness and ( walan-gun-mala ) bravery to go and find this stuff out ?
If you are saying ( gee-yama ) YES ! then you are already on your way .
But you are not there yet ! In fact : you may never be there .
I want to say that reconciliation is not an outcome , it is ( birrang ) – a journey . It is one that will take you on the highs and show you the achievements and celebrations of our First Nations people , but it will also take you to places of great sadness .
Reconciliation will be , and is , a lifelong ( birrang ) journey .
Let us jump forward ( marra marra ) 10 years . Where will you be ? Completed tertiary study . Employed . Married . Having your own kids . Working in the arts , in business , in hospitality , in health , education , law . Wherever you are , in whatever position you find yourself – you may be able to assist an Aboriginal young person to create some more of those firsts .
You may be just the change agent that starts to close some of the gaps that exist with the First Nations family that you work with .
I was one of the ( nan-hay-nan-haybinha ) lucky ones who got to meet my mum .
I was one of the ( nan-hay-nan-haybinha ) lucky ones who got to meet my brothers . Not everyone got this chance . I got the chance to reconcile with my family . That was my reconciliation .
National Reconciliation Week is that time of year for us all to reflect , respect and celebrate .
In reflecting , one should come to realise that the ongoing journey towards reconciliation goes beyond a single day , week or annual calendar event , and that Reconciliation Week serves as a poignant reminder for all Australians to act today to tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation .
2023 ’ s Reconciliation Theme was ‘ Be a Voice for Generations ’. Throughout Australia ’ s history , meaningful change has been driven by individuals speaking up , speaking out and matching their words with brave action .
Generations of Indigenous Australians - parents , Aunties , Uncles , Elders and young people - have paved the way . From the 1967 referendum to the 2008 Apology and the 2017 Uluru Statement from the Heart , we have come a long way thanks to their efforts .
These hard-fought and hard-won achievements teach us that small steps today power giant leaps tomorrow , and that when we work together to amplify the voices of First Nations peoples , we can move the dial .
Our country has a long record of inspiring allies and solidarity and so does our school .
This record reflects the different elements of our Indigenous Program ; enhancing our cultural experiences and understandings on the back of our successful Indigenous Culture Festival in 2022 ; the new Indigenous guernseys ; expanding our partnership with our Tiwi College friends ; growing the Indigenous Scholarship Program to Indigenous boys or our 2023 Scotch College Reconciliation Video . Our school continues to take important steps on our reconciliation journey .
Promoting reconciliation means that we are further strengthening the relationship between Aboriginal people , their stories and culture with non-Indigenous people . And building meaningful and respectful relationships is at the heart of what we do at Scotch .
DION WHITFIELD – SCHOOL CAPTAIN
All of you are the future of reconciliation .
You are the ones who can make the changes so that my kids , my grandkids and my great-grandkids can live in a world where Closing the Gap does not have to exist – because you CLOSED that GAP .
I want say two more things :
Mandaang guway – that means ( thank you ) for letting me talk with you , and if you see me around me stop me and say : ‘ Yama Nunarmum AJ ' which means ‘ Hey there Uncle AJ ’.
And I will respond ‘ Mandang bunjee ’. ‘ Thank you , my friend ’.
www . scotch . vic . edu . au Great Scot 31