From the Principal: 25 May 2022

The first half of today’s Secondary School assembly was dedicated to National Reconciliation Week, which starts this Friday. In my usual address to staff and students, I attempted to give the students some context as to why this week is important for all Australians and gave some practical ideas as to how we can all celebrate and learn more about what has now become an important cultural, historical, and societal event. The following excerpt is part of the speech I delivered at the assembly.

So, what is Reconciliation Week? It’s a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

At its heart, reconciliation is about strengthening relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous peoples, for the benefit of all Australians.

Next Monday we’ll get a public holiday, but rather than just see it as a day off from school, I’d encourage you all to think of one thing you can do, to learn more about Indigenous culture and engage with this year’s Reconciliation Week theme “Be Brave, Make Change”.

Official celebrations are taking place between 10am and 3pm at the National Arboretum, Canberra. It is a family-friendly event designed to promote conversations and foster a deeper understanding of our national story and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture.

If you are attending, be sure to look out for some of our students from Wandoo House, in their light blue shirts, who will be assisting on the day.

We are lucky to be living in Canberra, with access to so many of our national institutions, like the National Museum and National Library, which both have Indigenous collections.

The National Gallery is currently hosting the Ceremony exhibition, featuring the work of more than 35 First Nations artists. From performance and the moving image, to painting, photography, sculpture and immersive installations, Ceremony articulates the central role of art and artists in connecting community, culture and Country.

You might like to listen to some music by Indigenous artists, whether that be Archie Roach’s song "Took the Children Away," about the Stolen Generations, or the hip-hop of Baker Boy from Arnhem Land, whose lyrics move between English and the Yolngu Matha language.

The Reconciliation Australia website has a film page to help you read more about movies and documentaries you can seek out and watch, like Rabbit Proof Fence, The Sapphires and Samson and Delilah.

And if you like being in nature, why not visit the Namarag nature reserve in Molonglo, which only opened late last year. It is considered a special location for the Ngunnawal people, as it is where their ancestors would gather, with the Molonglo River once utilised as a pathway to move throughout the landscape.

Whatever you decide to do, make a commitment to keep learning about Indigenous culture, for it is only in improving our understanding that we can continue to work together towards reconciliation.

Acting Deputy Principal/Head of Secondary School

At today’s assembly, I also informed students that following Dr Johnson’s departure at the end of this term, Ms Louise Wallace-Richards will be Acting Deputy Principal/Head of Secondary School for at least Term 3. As explained in my last article, although we quickly initiated a nation-wide recruitment strategy to replace Dr Johnson, the time taken to advertise, interview and then allow the successful applicant to give notice at their own school, means we will not have a replacement in place until at least the start of Term 4, and perhaps even slightly longer.

We will now be looking for an internal candidate to take on some of the work that Ms Wallace-Richards currently does in her role as Assistant Principal Teaching and Learning. I am confident that all of these interim arrangements will be in place by the end of the term.

Additional Prefects inducted

Last year a decision was made to appoint a small number of Year 12 students to a Prefect position in Term 2 of their final year, in addition to the Prefects who had been named towards the end of Year 11. This decision was made to recognise those students who may have missed out on a Prefect position the year before but had continued to demonstrate outstanding leadership qualities and an ongoing commitment to the College over the first part of their Year 12 year.

After consultation with staff, I am delighted to confirm the appointment of two additional Prefects for 2022: Tia Priest-Willimott and Natalie Neshev. Both Tia and Natalie were nominated by staff and acknowledged as having made a significant and enduring contribution to the life of the Secondary School. We have every confidence they will continue on in this manner throughout the year.

I presented Tia and Natalie with their badges last week and this event was filmed and shown at the assembly today. I am sure the College community will join me in congratulating Tia and Natalie on their appointments.

Safety issues along the back road

Two weeks ago, I attended the Autumn Concert in TB Millar Hall. As usual, it was a thoroughly entertaining and uplifting event, showcasing the talents of our musicians from across the College. I left the concert feeling upbeat and jovial, once again marvelling at the great work that is being accomplished in our performing arts section of the College.

However, as I drove out from the back of the hall, I was once again dismayed by the long line of cars parked on the footpath joining one side of the campus with the other. This newly created footpath has multiple NO PARKING signs along its entire length, yet many parents had simply refused to abide by the parking regulations which have been specifically designed to provide a safe passage for all of our community members.

I was even more concerned as I continued to drive along the back road to see that two groups of people were forced to walk along the road because the footpath was blocked by cars. I am sure many other people had no option that night but to walk on the road as they made their way back to the Morison and general car parks, where they had parked their car legally.

Should parents continue to disregard the very prominent and obvious parking signs, we are going to be forced (for the safety of our students) to install bollards along the footpath to block cars from parking there or driving along it. This would be an unsightly and costly exercise but one we may be forced to resort to.

I ask all parents to please observe the parking and traffic signs we have across the campus.