This week is Reconciliation Week. A week where we all take time to reflect, learn and understand more about Australian Indigenous history and culture, and how we can work towards reconciling injustices.
We held a whole College assembly on Tuesday morning where we celebrated indigenous culture with dance, heard from indigenous community leaders and acknowledged some exceptional writing by two of our indigenous year 9 students.
Our College Captains, Gracielle Igat and Will Clurey also spoke about their experience of becoming F.I.R.E. carriers. It was a moving reflection that needs to be shared with our whole College community, so it’s taking the space of my reflection this week.
We have extraordinary student leaders at our College.
Emma Reynoldson
Acting Principal
Gracielle Igat
We thank the Aboriginal peoples who have cared for this land for over 65,000 years. Our school is on Yorta Yorta Country, and we respect the 8 clans and 16 family groups who belong to this Nation. We promise to learn, listen, and stand together with Aboriginal peoples as we work towards kindness, fairness, and truth for everyone.
On our first week back, we were lucky to visit Winton Wetlands — a special and sacred place once home to the Yorta Yorta people. Long ago, this land was snatched by European settlers in the 1860s and much was lost - River Red Gums, scar trees, native animals, and most importantly, the impenetrable connection between Aboriginal peoples and their land. This was their culture. A part of them that they can never get back.
Today, the wetlands remain standing. Just like the pride of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Its rich and proud history of repossession, engulfed within the roots of the trees, the hymn of the birds and the ripple of the waters. It is cared for again, by local Indigenous people helping protect and honour its culture and history.
The day began with a commissioning ceremony where we received our badges and walked through the smoke, with “The Children Came Back”, a song commemorating the victory of Aboriginal Australians in reclaiming THEIR people, THEIR kids from the stolen generation. For all, it was a surreal privilege to be welcomed as allies - to contest for the rights and grasp the adversities experienced of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander peoples. Like a tree stripped of its bark, their identity was exposed and wounded, but the roots hold strong till now.
Niki James, a proud Yorta Yorta woman, radiated warmth from sharing stories that fuelled others with hope and pride from her culture. The Winton Wetlands was beautiful. Still. Peaceful. A breath of fresh air from the responsibilities and busy world of Year 12.
The highlight of the commissioning was when we all came together sharing games, stories and gathering as a family. Now - I stand beneath you all, a proud FIRE Carrier bridging two worlds, bridging now to next, past, present and future.
Will Clurey
I’d like to begin by extending my gratitude to Nikki James, who invited and welcomed us all to Country. It was truly a surreal experience — learning, reflecting, and simply being present on such sacred land.
To drivers passing by, the Wetlands does not appear too dissimilar to one you would imagine. A few trees spread across a vast grassland plane, with flora and fauna flourishing in every possible direction. But, standing there, you realise it is so much more. Each scar tree still stands to tell its story, a symbol of resilience and resourcefulness in times of need. Each artwork speaks to the journey of 15 Yorta Yorta artists, woven together to share their culture and truth. Each animal, cyclically coming back to rest, to hunt, to rejuvenate. The wind whispering the hymns of the thousands of Indigenous peoples who have walked this land before us.
Similarly, this badge (The F.I.R.E Carrier badge) I wear means more than what meets the eye. Worn on my left, close to my heart. It represents a sense of continuity. Recognition. The urge to come together. To share. To listen. And to do better.
Being a F.I.R.E. Carrier isn’t just a role, it's a promise. A promise to listen deeply, to speak up when it matters, and to create space for truth and healing.
We all still have so much to learn. So much to unlearn. So much more to understand.
So, in the light of reconciliation, I invite you to open your eyes. Open your ears. And most importantly, open your hearts. Because healing starts now, with you, and your actions.
Let’s walk together with courage, compassion, and commitment. Understanding that reconciliation is not a moment, it’s a movement.