Inverell Public School celebrated NAIDOC 2024 with games, food, family, and a lot of laughter on a fun-filled morning under a wintery, sunny blue sky.
This year’s theme, ‘Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud & Proud’, resonated across the school grounds in joyous shouts over First Nations-themed games, the scent of damper, and songs in Language.
The school postponed their annual event to Wednesday 24 July to ensure the year six students who were away at the usual event date could participate. The day was designed to celebrate, recognise, and respect First Nations culture, for the students and adults for the future. The school is multicultural, and one quarter of the students identify as First Nations.
Students packed the outdoor assembly area for the Acknowledgement of Country and greetings by students Jamerakai Munro and Kiara Rose, addresses by teacher and event coordinator, Hayley MacLeod, and school principal Ally Campbell.
All teachers were wearing special shirts designed for the school by the school’s Cultural Committee, sharing the 2024 NAIDOC theme, and specific imagery telling the school’s story with imagery relating to the Gamilaroi Culture.
Walls around the assembly were colourfully papered with paintings and drawings by the students created to recognise and respect NAIDOC and First Nations culture. Ms MacLeod called attention to the works on display.
“I hope their artworks ignite a fire in you, and inspire you to keep the fire burning,” she said to the family members seated all around the students.
Kindergarten and year 1 students stood up in their classes and sang ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, and ‘I Can See a Rainbow’ in Gamilaraay Language and Auslan before the students broke up into groups for rounds of First Nations games and fun, and visitors were invited to try pancakes and damper, lemon myrtle cake and kangaroo and beef sausage rolls.
Principal Campbell was visiting with parents outside the hall where a busy team of teachers and staff were providing the refreshments. She said this was the second year they held the NAIDOC assembly outside with games to provide more space
“I feel it’s much more popular, and we’ve got more families in this way. And this is the first year we’re trying to do the bush tucker, so it will be good to get that feedback as well. So we’re trying to embrace the whole culture, so that we’re sharing, and caring,” she said.
“But I think it’s important to celebrate and acknowledge the contribution that our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people bring.”
She said the school had a passionate First Nations cultural committee, and part of their focus was growing and increasing a foundation of knowledge and understanding for students.
School Aboriginal Education Officer Farren Boney has been teaching Gamilaaray language to the years K-2 several days a week for the past five years.
“You’re kind of proud, especially when you see non-Indigenous children, using the language, at breakfast club for example. When they want to get a bit of toast, to say ‘Yamma’, ‘Hello’, so say ‘Thank you’ for the bit of toast in language,” he said.
“And that was the whole idea for it, because I wanted the Aboriginal kids to have a sense of belonging with their culture through language, and for the non-Indigenous kids to have a greater appreciation for the Aboriginal culture.”
From kindergarten through year 6, the students rotated across the schoolyards and fields to play a series of games rooted in Indigenous culture, and some with traditional materials. Teachers shared the stories of the games to the groups before they began to play.
The Inverell High School’s Clontarf Academy and Stars students were on hand to mentor the younger children, by supporting the games, laughing and encouraging the younger children.
Inverell Clontarf director Linden McGrady said the opportunity was positive for all the students, and said the day helped keep Culture alive, and instill pride in the young Clontarf men.
“The boys love being involved in community activities like this,” he said, looking out across the fields.
“Even though Inverell Public isn’t the feeder school for Inverell High, we feel that we can showcase the boys to everyone in the community. Just so they get to know different schools, different people, different teachers, and different students,” he said.
“It’s about bringing a smile to other kids’ faces, and getting involved. And also, it gives confidence in the boys so they’re not shamed to join in activities with kids they don’t know.”
Inverell resident and Inverell NAIDOC Committee member Lyn Lackay came for the day with her husband Ivan to cheer on five of their grandchildren. She felt it was good to see the parents there joining in with the children, and the message of NAIDOC shared with the assembly.
“Today at the assembly, it was really meaningful for kids to understand what it means for NAIDOC Week, but it’s also good to see, as a grandmother, seeing the teachers identifying with the Aboriginal Culture and using that design in their shirts,” she said.
“I just thought that was beautiful, and makes kids respect it more.”
She reflected on the change in times from her early years in teacher’s training.
“When I was first doing my teacher’s prac at the school Lismore, a child didn’t want to listen to me because I was Aboriginal, and some of the language that that child used that day, I thought, ‘Wow,’ Lyn said.
“But things have changed since then. Things have changed dramatically.”
Toward the end of the morning, Mrs MacLeod walked around the groups of game players, and said using sport was a good way for students to connect to culture and history.
“I think it’s really good. There’s a wonderful parent turnout. All the kids are engaged, the Clontarf boys are joining in in and having fun, as are the girls from the Stars group,” she said.
“I think it’s learning as well as a celebration, and it’s nice to be able to combine the two.”
Photos by Michèle Jedlicka.
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