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Children at Wauchope Public School took part in a special NAIDOC week assembly, where they learned Birpai words and sang and danced.
The event was organised by the school’s Aboriginal Education committee, and the theme was Our Languages Matter.
Uncle Bill O’Brien gave his beautiful Welcome to Country.
Then everyone enjoyed a slide show looking back at last year’s Garden of Reconciliation, where every child in the school made paper people who held hands.
It won first prize in the prestigious Samuel Peace Award, which was presented by Ian Watson from the New South Wales Teachers Union, along with a cheque for $200.
“Promoting peace within our community is a very important thing,” he told the children, staff and parents.
“And the Garden of Reconciliation did that.”
Special guest Aunty Rhonda Radley talked about the theme of Our Language Matters.
She told the children that Australia is a really big place and had more than 500 languages here before English. And she taught them some words.
An Aboriginal women's group, Djiyagan Dhanbaan (strong sister) shared language through song and the children joined in.
Letitia Fitzpatrick
Worked as a journalist and assistant producer for BBC news and current affairs in the UK, Ulster Television, Q Radio and the Irish News in Northern Ireland. Moved to Australia and joined Fairfax Media in 2016. Won a Rotary Paul Harris Fellowship award in 2018 for reporting the Pappinbarra bushfires and the subsequent Rotary appeal which raised $30,000.
Worked as a journalist and assistant producer for BBC news and current affairs in the UK, Ulster Television, Q Radio and the Irish News in Northern Ireland. Moved to Australia and joined Fairfax Media in 2016. Won a Rotary Paul Harris Fellowship award in 2018 for reporting the Pappinbarra bushfires and the subsequent Rotary appeal which raised $30,000.
