SOCIAL JUSTICE

Art for a furry cause

Koalas are adored around the world and, when their habitat was devastated during the 2020 bushfires, we knew we had to do something to help.

The Koala Project was born and has resulted in the creation of 23 large-scale Koala Sculptures decorated by Haileybury students and leading Australian artists.

With varying designs and colours, the lifesize Koala Sculptures are stunning pieces of art. The Project will be celebrated in August with a live auction of the unique items with funds raised going to the Australian Koala Foundation (AKF).

Last year, artists and LEAP students from our Early Learning Centres, Junior School and Middle School across Haileybury Rendall School and Haileybury’s four Melbourne campuses, began working on an immersive parallel collaboration between the art industry and our Haileybury Art community.

While koalas aren’t native to the NT it was a wonderful opportunity for Haileybury Rendall School to work closely with Haileybury Melbourne on such a creative project, for a worthy cause.

This good news event is sure to be one of the most inspiring and joyful celebrations of the year. Artists involved include Pamela Irving, whose imagery across painting, drawing and sculpture evokes humour, storytelling and irony. Her art is held in private and public collections internationally. Students from the Ochre Art elective class created their design based on motifs from their natural world and homelands. Boab trees from the Kimberley region, water lilies from Kakadu wetlands, dragonflies evident of the dry season, stingrays from Saltwater locations and interweaving designs of circles, lines and dots that are part of the aesthetic of Indigenous art.

The AKF is the principal non-profit, nongovernment organisation dedicated to the effective management and conservation of koalas and their habitat.

Its main goals are to refine and update the Koala Habitat Atlas mapping of all wild koala habitats and to get the Koala Protection Act enacted to ensure koalas and their habitat are protected.

The ethos of the Koala Project is to foster our students’ connection with the Creative Arts industry. Through the parallel participation with seven established and leading Australian artists, the project is a rare and amazing out-of-classroom opportunity for our students.

An online auction will be held later in the year. The Haileybury Rendall School community will be contacted closer to the date to register to bid.

So stay tuned and get those bidding panels ready … we already know which Koala we want for ourselves!

Cutting school for Greatest Shave

Some colourful and exciting haircuts have been on display at Haileybury Rendall School—and it’s all for a very good cause.

Earlier in the year we were proud to host the World’s Greatest Shave fundraising event to support the Leukaemia Foundation.

The whole school came together to supporting the students and staff that so bravely shaved or coloured their hair.

Thirteen students and staff member Mr Mark McDermott opted to take the plunge and shave their hair, while four others committed to a brilliant display of coloured hair. Principal McGregor also donated towards the cause and enthusiastically shaved his head.

We are very proud of Junior School students Ariana Tsirbas (Year 3), Alice Herraman (Year 4), and Adele Brennan (Year 5) who were brave enough to shave their beautiful hair for this wonderful cause.

Fundraiser organizer Lisa Cadd said, “I know how much courage it takes for these young people to do this in front of their peers and I really admire them for that.”

This important event educates our School that as a community we can come together to make a difference to the lives of people who have leukaemia or a bloodrelated disease.

The day was a free-dress day with the theme A Spot of Blue. A barbeque lunch was available and the HRS Student Leadership Team ran the event stations, supervised by HRS staff.

Early Learning Centre students donated a gold coin to have their hair sprayed and they also received a temporary tattoo.

It was a remarkable day as the students and staff were cheered on by their peers. The day was plenty of fun, and the atmosphere buzzing with excitement.

Overall, Haileybury Rendall School raised an astonishing $22,964.13.

Camp inspires

carers and campers alike

It is said that a true indicator of society’s compassion is how it treats each one of its citizens. By that measure, Haileybury Rendall School’s social justice priorities are performing very well as it supports children with disabilities and hosts the Sony Foundation’s Children’s Camp.

Held at the end of Term 2, the Camp was located at Gumimba House in the School’s boarding facilities.

The Senior Student volunteers and Camp Co-ordinator Lisa Cadd once again organised an inspiring event for all.

“It was such an honour for us that the parents and carers allowed us this very special privilege of caring for and entertaining their most precious children. We had such a wonderful time spending quality time with the children, and we will all cherish the memories that were created" Lisa Cadd, Camp Co-ordinator.

The three day camp provided valuable respite time to families of children with disabilities, knowing that their precious children were in safe hands.

Activities included an excursion to Lake Leanyer water park followed by a barbeque picnic lunch, a visit to the science labs for some experiments combining science with art, as well as lots of fun making slime. After dinner, everyone got comfortable in their bean bags to enjoy a movie, while the smell of freshly made popcorn filled the room.

This year’s theme was fairy tales. The art and craft consisted of making wands and fairy wings, castles and art featuring dragons while bubbles floated in the air. The atmosphere was enchanting Elijah Martins, School Captain, said that “Sony Camp has been one of the biggest highlights this year. It was truly an amazing experience which is hard to put in words unless you're actually there. The memories you make with both the kids and your friends are unforgettable.”

Although it can be tiring, the enjoyment of spending time with the children is exceptionally rewarding. Bonds created at this camp are incredibly heart-warming and all the HRS students were appreciative of the opportunity to get to know these amazing children.

By the end of the program, the families were so excited to be reunited with their young ones and see that the children had a wonderful time. Unfortunately, the final day was cut short by a lockdown announcement and Family Lunch had to be cancelled. The food had already been prepared for the event and families were given some before going home. What was left was provided to the homeless.

School Captain Megan Ho summarized the program in one sentence “Sony Camp is a very special opportunity for both the carers and the campers to spend time and learn from each other, I’m so grateful to have participated”.