ATSI News & Immersions ____________________Pages 63

from SJc Yearbook Virtus 2015

Valete __________________________________Pages

RECONCILIATION WEEK

Reconciliation Week activities started on Wednesday 27th May with the annual Reconciliation Match between St Joseph’s and St Bernard’s Colleges, which highlighted the need for reconciliation in all fields, including on the sporting field. After a pre-game Reconciliation Ceremony, SJC players, wearing specially designed jerseys designed by a local Aboriginal artist, were victorious and managed to hold on to the much sought after Reconciliation Cup!

Reconciliation Week activities continued with a moving Reconciliation

Mass led by ATSI students and Firecarriers to the theme “it’s not the colour of your skin”, bringing awareness to the fact that not all

Indigenous people are stereotypically dark-skinned. The students shared a bit of their heritage and we enjoyed a performance by

Yirrmal, a past SJC student who is now an internationally renowned vocal performer. At the Mass, ATSI students debuted their very own

Acknowledgement of Country, which they wrote and of which they were deservedly very proud!

Students also went along to the Marngrook Footy Show,

Reconciliation in the Park and the Victorian Aboriginal

Remembrance Service at the Shrine of Remembrance, as well as Dreamtime at the G – including the Long Walk, a gesture of solidarity for Aboriginal Australians to celebrate the respectful relationships shared by ATSI people and other Australians.

IMMERSION TRIPS

Students at SJC have the opportunity to attend three immersion trips in partnership with Indigenous communities around Australia. Year 9s visit Yeppoon, a community north of Rockhampton, Year 10s head to Daly River while Year 11s have the opportunity to go to the Tiwi Islands.

Louisa Biviano - ATSI Coordinator & Susan Collins - Koori Education Worker DARWIN/TIWI ISLANDS TRIP 2015

During Activities Week a group of 12 students travelled to Bathurst Island as part of the cultural immersion program at St Joseph’s, aimed at educating students about the importance of Reconciliation. Whilst in Darwin we met Tejinda Singh and his family who run a soup van once a month to feed the homeless as a part of their expression of faith of their Sikh religion. On the island, we were warmly welcomed into the Nguiu community by all of the elders and children. Together we sang and danced, played basketball and learnt some of the local language. For four days, we became part of this tight-knit community and experienced life in the shoes of an Indigenous person living in a remote area. The trip was an amazing experience that changed all of our perspectives on the way Indigenous Australians live and I would strongly encourage future students to take this opportunity to learn more about Indigenous culture.