Since 1968, Marist College has been a part of and had its footprints on the land of the NgunnawalandNgambripeoples.
As a College, we acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we stand. We acknowledge the continued deep spiritual attachment and relationship they have to this land and commit ourselves to the challenge of Closing the Gap and the ongoing journeyofReconciliation.
First Nations’ Week was kicked off with a beautiful Smoking Ceremony led by Uncle Les, Owen and Jessy. Les called upon his own ancestors and the ancestors of all the staff. Les could feel the spiritual ancestors arriving for this ancient ceremony in honour of our modern ceremony, First Nations’ Week.
Work commenced on the school didgeridoo, which started out with a hollowed out tree trunk. A traditional stone axe was used to begin the work. Each student hit the trunk three times with the axe to remove some of the bark, as is customary in Yuin culture.
Following this, the trunk was sanded back. Students selected the colour themselves. They paired off, mixed paint and came to an agreement on the brown. The first coat was then applied, along with a second coat and left overnight.
The first day concluded with a wonderful evening for First Nations’ parents Here, the parents were told about the important work done by teachers in the curriculum space They were also informed about all of the work being done this week and why we are coming together in this way to celebrate Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander culture.
Please come down to the grassed area in front of the Canteen to sample a roo burger or a kanga banger. Students of the First Nations’ Committee will also be continuing their work on the school didgeridoo and the canvas painting. They’d love to give all the staff an update on their progress so far.
Tuesday brought us some more exciting activities including continuing painting of the school didgeridoo, personal designs being created for the Canvas and the roo burger BBQ.
In the morning, students discussed their mob’s history and the importance of symbols in their culture From here, the students then selected a symbol personal to their family history and this local area and recorded it on the didgeridoo.
At lunchtime, students sold roo burgers and kanga bangas with native spices. Kye Jenke put the burgers and the sausages together in the morning and had them looking delicious for lunchtime.
A big thanks to Thomas Doyle from MJ&S who did a magnificent job on the BBQ! We sold out of everything so there will be another BBQ at the Buroinjin match on Thursday on Oval 1 This time we will be having Kangaroo backstrap, $3 each.
Josh Evans (Marist Old Boy) showing Joseph Waterworth (Year 9) how to create a boomerang.
Come down to Oval 1 at lunch to see the 7-9 students square off in some indigenous games.
Mr Simon Rugala will be coaching the Marist All Stars and Mr Matt Topham will be coaching the Indigenous All Stars. It will a battle of indigenous games and receding hairlines!
WRISTBANDS WILL BE ON SALE AGAIN FOR $2 EACH, PLEASE COME DOWN AND BUY A WRIST BAND TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT.
Today’s focus was the canvas piece that the students have designed themselves based on the “Pathways to Community” piece by Peter O’Callaghan
Here the students have put their own spin on the piece, but maintaining the original idea of “the different schools of The Rocks, St Mary’s Cathedral, Darlinghurst and Pearce, are symbolic of the way travelled by the young men and staff who have been a part of the journey to Marist Canberra” (Peter O’Callaghan). When completed, this piece will be gifted to Marist College, Canberra.
We also had the junior Buroinjin match on Oval 1 at lunch. It was a pulsating seesaw affair that saw the Indigenous team win 8-7 A Bennett like coaching performance from Matt Topham seemed to have lifted them to victory Special thanks to both coaches and to Simon Rugala who refereed the match.
Today the indigenous students will finish their two art pieces, ready for presentation tomorrow at the Assembly.
There will also be the Senior Buroinjin clash at Lunchtime on Oval 1. The Marist All Stars vs Indigenous and Pacifica All Stars.
Kangaroo back strap burgers will be on sale for $4 but get in quick, there is limited supply. Wrist bands will also be on sale for $2. Eftpos available.
Thursday saw the boys put the finishing touches on their canvas painting A name was given to it along with a story that will be revealed at assembly today The didgeridoo has also been completed and will be gifted to school on behalf of the First Nations’ Committee
Lunchtime saw the inaugural Buroinjin Match get underway. Uncle Les and Old Boy Josh conducted an ancient ceremony to ask the spirit of the ancestors to keep the boys safe throughout the match. Only one hamstring was pulled and it wasn’t a student! The match was a tight affair with the Indigenous/Pacifica team pulling away with a commanding lead in the first half. Will Janke and Jackson Cannell were deadly for the home team After a rousing halftime talk, the Marist All Stars staged a courageous comeback, following the lead of Lachie Bourne After a frenzied final five
Members of the First Nations Committee spent the morning preparing for the Smoking Ceremony that would take place prior to the Assembly This was done by asking Mother Nature for permission to take what they needed and only what they needed for the Ceremony. The students were also given red headbands to show that they were in a sacred ceremony and had to remove them to eat or go to the bathroom. To put them back on, they had to have direct contact with the earth and ask for permission, “through the mother,” to put the headband back on
At recess, the front office artwork was unveiled by artist Peter O’Callaghan and First Nations students Jackson Cannell and Kai Dewis A very small number of invitations were extended to members of the Indigenous Marist Community Peter spoke about the conception of this piece and the importance it now has for our community. Anton Buchi and sons, who created the wooden section behind the painting, also addressed the audience on how this piece was created Overall, it is hoped that the words written on the plaque serve as a call to action for everyone at Marist
The Assembly was a very special event The First Nations Committee was led in by Jesse from Nalangu Dreaming on the didgeridoo. Jackson Cannell (Year 12) and Lachlan Richardson (Year 7) were in full ceremonial attire and should be congratulated for taking on a rare opportunity like this. Jackson then opened the assembly to speak about what this week has meant to him and what he hopes for the future. He stressed that we shouldn’t remain on “autopilot” and that we needed to undertake genuine action to address issues with our First Nations people
Peter O’Callaghan then addressed the College to officially commission his piece of art, “Pathways to Community ” He spoke of the inspiration he had for the piece and how it came together. “The pathways in this painting represent the history of the Marist Brothers in Australia. The four pathways, representing the different schools of The Rocks, St Mary’s Cathedral, Darlinghurst, and Pearce, are symbolic of the way travelled by the young men and staff who have been a part of the journey to Marist Canberra These pathways converge in the middle in a meeting place that is now Marist College Canberra. The pathways are bound at the top and bottom by the solidarity of Mary and Marcellin, binding us all together. The blue represents the College colours, which moved from Darlinghurst to Canberra when the school was opened in 1968.”
From here, the canvas was unveiled, with students naming it “Warragul Dreaming.” In the words of the students, “In Indigenous culture, this means ‘mountains,’ representing the nearby Snowy Mountains. Dreaming represents the spiritual connection we have to the painting and the land.”
Next up was Ashleigh Gardner, Australian Women’s Cricket star, being interviewed by our very own Matt Topham They covered some very important points including a resilient mindset and overcoming adversity Ash also gave us an insight into what it was like growing up as an Indigenous girl in Bankstown
Ashleigh kindly stayed to present the inaugural Indigenous Games Trophy to the captain of the Indigenous/Pacifica All Stars, Uli Latukefu The Peter O’Callaghan Medal for best afield was also awarded to the Indigenous All Stars’ Jackson Cannell, who was electric during the match
From here, the big moment of the Assembly arrived with the presentation of the school didgeridoo that the students worked so hard to create The painting depicts the rivers that are so important in this region, such as the Murrumbidgee River. The mountains shown at the bottom are a tribute to the local ranges, the Snowy River Mountains An important meeting point for ancient Indigenous Tribes. Uncle Les handed the didgeridoo over to Principal Matthew Hutchison, who was invited to play for the crowd It appears he may have more practice to do!
Finally, the assembly and the week were closed with a song and dance. As previously mentioned Jackson Cannell (Year 12) and Lachlan Richardson (Year 7) dressed up in full ceremonial dress, a rare honour for Marist boys and the first time it has happened in over 20 years.
The inaugural First Nations Week was undoubtedly a great celebration of Indigenous culture at Marist College. A tradition has begun and along with it, an opportunity to cement this tradition in our Marist culture.
