Reconciliation Week was celebrated by Seymour College with an assembly for primary and inclusive school students on Wednesday, May 31.
A sideshow was created by school leaders, which included an introduction to what reconciliation is, why it is celebrated and how it is celebrated at Seymour College.
Koorie education co-ordinator Kylie Doyle said that each year students engaged in meaningful learning, but for the past two years a more formal event had marked the occasion.
“The reason why we celebrate it is we have a strong and proud Indigenous culture in the school and our local community,” Ms Doyle said.
“Based on the last event where the Acknowledgement of Country prompted passionate responses from readers, at Seymour College we are just trying to encourage people to be proud of Australian history and a large amount of that comes down to Indigenous cultures.
“This year’s National Reconciliation Week theme is ‘a voice for generations’. We encourage children to learn and appreciate Indigenous cultures so they can teach others to learn and appreciate... and hopefully eliminate the bias.”
Since Anzac Day, years 5 and 6 students have been looking at Australian history and the rights of different groups of people in Australia.
Each year, students study the contributions of Indigenous people through history and this year the students commemorated the Indigenous servicemen and women who were willing to give their lives to fight for Australia, including a case study of Gunditjmara man Reg Saunders.
During the Reconciliation Week assembly, students also watched the laying of the wreaths at the Shrine of Remembrance to acknowledge Indigenous Australians’ contribution to Australia’s defence.
“I have Indigenous students in my class that were just shocked that it was happening … there was so much discrimination back then,” Ms Doyle said.
“We also talked about how people are still discriminated against today.”
Primary school captains Evie Tarran and Isla Fawcett said the day was special because they were able to celebrate one of the many cultures of some students who attend the school.
“There are many children who wouldn't, for whatever reason, be able to acknowledge or celebrate it at home,” Evie said.
“Creating a respectful relationship and inclusive environment helps everybody.”
Isla said that for her, Reconciliation Week was all about treating everybody equally.
“Because racism and discrimination is still an issue in the community,” she said.
College principal Debbie Oliver said it was great to see students learning about and acknowledging Australia’s Indigenous history.
“We believe it is important for our children to learn about our shared history and acknowledge the significant events that have led to reconciliation,” she said.
“At Seymour College, we acknowledge the Taungurung people prior to all significant events as a mark of respect to the generations that have come before, are with us now and will continue into the future.”