School community unites to commemorate National Sorry Day

On 24 May, we held two very special assemblies for our Junior and Senior School to commemorate National Sorry Day. These were coordinated and led by our Year 9 students

These assemblies presented a wonderful opportunity for our school community to connect with local Indigenous leaders

We were honoured to have several special guests at the assemblies including Aunty Iris Troutman from the Many Mobs Indigenous Corporation (Yarrawonga)

Also joining us were Uncle Michael Morgan from Yorta Yorta Country, Aunty Therese Rodway from Wiradjuri Country, and Diedre Robertson from Reconciliation Shepparton

Debutantes sparkle in front of family and friends

Our 2023 Debutante Ball was a night to remember to the Finley RSC

At the centre of the celebration were eight outstanding couples from Year 10 and 11

They were: Bella Mete and Thomas Corso, Savanna Mustica and Harry Paterson, Alana Rickard and Shadan Alsabti, Tahlia Bextream and Jett Robbins, Madison McDiarmid and Nathan Gossayn, Molly Rice and Zac Everingham, Makayla Pestrucci and Sam Lincoln, and Abigail Brooker and Shaun Downing

Proud Indigenous woman and Cobram AGS teacher, Mrs Sharonlee Post, kindly offered the following reflection after our school's involvement in the Sorry Day commemorations:

Each year, National Sorry Day commemorates and acknowledges the atrocities faced by First Nations children who were forcibly removed from their families and communities; and the continuing impact of forcible removal and assimilation policies on Stolen Generations Survivors, their families and whole communities

We cannot begin to fix the problems of the present without accepting the truth of our history At Cobram AGS, we teach empathy and understanding and these beautiful assemblies presented by the Year 9s make it very evident that our students have empathy for others

Sorry Day asks us to acknowledge the Stolen Generations, and in doing so, reminds us that historical injustice is still an ongoing source of intergenerational trauma for Aboriginal and Torres Islander families, communities, and peoples

Why say sorry? Words have incredible healing power; while words cannot erase the crimes of the past, the acknowledgement of the wrongs committed against Aboriginal people has helped pave the way for greater understanding and empathy

The Year 9 students should be very proud of their wonderful commemorations and the power their words had on our special guests who were members of the Stolen Generations