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. 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." Read more: John Hewson to join Refugee Week rally in Wollongong 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. Read more: Shellharbour author explores her family's painful journey to find Home We depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support.
CELEBRATIONS: Aunty Debra Johnson and Aunty Lorraine Brown running art workshops at Koonawarra Public School. Picture: Adam McLean
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.
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.
We depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support.
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