Message from the RAP Working Group

The idea of Reconciliation Action Plan’s (RAP) is a call to action to support Indigenous Australians related to corporate and community leadership. Reconciliation Australia has five dimensions of reconciliation:

1. Historical Acceptance

2. Race Relations

3. Equality and Equity

4. Institutional Integrity

5. Unity

Our aim at Haileybury Rendall School is to ensure we meet our measurable targets and to engage and focus on creating meaningful change through Reconciliation Australia’s dimensions. This leads to transformational leadership.

This year, we have high hopes for our RAP Group, which is structured around Governance, Leadership, Culture(s), Indigenous and non-Indigenous Staff and Students, engagement in teaching and learning and the establishment of sub-committees to track the progress of our larger goals. Over the years, some RAPs from around the country have been criticised as organisations use the program as self-promotion instead of addressing institutional power and racism. However, at Haileybury Rendall School, we plan to develop strong, twoway relationships with the group, student sub-committee, and our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander school communities. 2022 showed us that the number of deliverables we had had increased immensely, leading us to extend our plan to two years, 2022/2023. The RAP triangulates to other evidence of reconciliation commitments, such as the Uluru Statement from the Heart – ‘walk together to build a better future’.

Establishing a student sub-committee will allow different perspectives and storytelling, which can deepen our connections and cultural relationships amongst our students. It will allow educational opportunities on what it means to have a two-way understanding with each other on the sub-committees and RAP groups and, more importantly, the two cultures, Indigenous and non-Indigenous. To understand reconciliation, you must recognise Indigenous injustices and the effects which can still be observed today. This leads to our curriculum priorities. Over 2021 and 2022, there was an extensive audit of our curriculum to find opportunities to embed Indigenous perspectives in the classroom.

From here, we have diversified by creating another sub-committee that will track the progress of embedding these experiences so students can delve into Australia’s First Nations history and view and understand different perspectives. We hope to instill strong morals and views that allow our students to advocate for positive change, which aligns with the 2023 National Reconciliation Week theme, “Be a Voice for Generations.”

Many ideas and perspectives are needed to guide a school to forge the best way forward. Our Principal’s Advisory Committee continues this year, providing a crucial Indigenous Voice to our school leadership on various issues. The RAP group is also an avenue to gain this important variation of views. Chairing the committee, we have Latisha Marranytya and Shane Excell, an Indigenous and non-Indigenous pairing, which embodies Haileybury Rendall School’s commitment to a shared story moving forward.

Latisha Marranytya and Shane Excell

Co- Chairs of the RAP Working Group