Aboriginal history and culture is being celebrated all this week at Koonawarra Public School.
Teachers and Aboriginal education officer Aunty Debra Johnson have put on a host of activities so students didn't miss out on acknowledging NAIDOC Week (July 4-11), which falls on the second week of the school holidays.
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The NAIDOC 2021 theme - Heal Country! - calls for everyone to continue to seek greater protections for our lands, our waters, our sacred sites and our cultural heritage from exploitation, desecration, and destruction, Aunty Debra said.
"It is important the week is celebrated in schools," she said.
"When we realised NAIDOC Week fell in the school holidays we immediately set about organising activities around the theme 'Heal Country!' for the last week of term."
Celebrations kicked off on Tuesday, with students taking part in art, craft, music, dance and other cultural activities.
Uncle G also performed a smoking ceremony and did a welcome to country before students carrying banners they designed took part in a Reconciliation Walk around the school.
Coomaditchie Elders including Aunty Lorraine Brown dropped by the school on Wednesday to run various art workshops for the eager students.
Koonawarra Public School assistant principal Rebecca Gee said festivities would continue on Thursday with the Department of Sport helping the school run an Indigenous Games Gala Day.
"We will end the week with a mufti day to raise funds for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation," she said.
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Agron Latifi
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
