At the start of our secondary assembly this week, Mr Hughes gave an address to students prior to the Acknowledgement of Country. Whilst either the Welcome to, or Acknowledgement of Country have become part of expected protocols before group gatherings and meetings, we understand that many people, particularly students, would have differing levels of understanding of why this occurs. An Acknowledgement of Country is an opportunity for anyone to show respect for Traditional Owners and the continuing connection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to Country. It can be given by both non-Indigenous people and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. “Protocols for welcoming visitors to Country have been a part of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures for thousands of years. Despite the absence of fences or visible borders, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups had clear boundaries separating their Country from that of other groups. Crossing into another group’s Country required a request for permission to enter. When permission was granted the hosting group would welcome the visitors, offering them safe passage and protection of their spiritual being during the journey. While visitors were provided with a safe passage, they also had to respect the protocols and rules of the land owner group while on their Country.” Taken from Reconciliation Australia website.

Mr Hughes encouraged students to use the acknowledgement as an opportunity to demonstrate respect for the indigenous people that have come before us, their practices, history and culture, as well as respecting the connection for Indigenous people in our school and across the broader community. Mr Hughes illustrated this by referring to Australian Olympian Patty Mills as a proud Indigenous Australian, and the discussion and interest that this had generated with groups of students. Listening to comments and reflections from students following the assembly, it had clearly struck a chord with many of our young people and generated further thinking. I’d encourage our families to continue this conversation and hopefully provoke some new learning.