Mazenod College, Mulgrave
Aboriginal Reconciliation Week at Mazenod College
Mazenod College is situated in the Wurundjeri tribal area.
On the 9 August 2001 the Social Justice Committee of Mazenod inaugurated
an Aboriginal Reconciliation Week. The week began with a smoking ceremony,
the significance of which was to acknowledge our presence here on
the land and to rid ourselves of any evil spirits. What followed this
was the unveiling of a banner which displayed our mission statement.
This mission statement is a permanent reminder of our commitment to
contribute to the reconciliation process with Aboriginal Australians.
The smoking ceremony could only be conducted by an Aboriginal leader.
As Wurundjeri elder Professor Joy Murphy-Wandin was overseas, we invited
Vicky Walker from the Australian Catholic Ministry of Melbourne to
help make this week a successful one.
After the welcoming of the Wurundjeri people, Years 7 and 8 students
were given an informative lesson on the way of the people by Wally
Cooper and his son Kevin from the Koorie Heritage Trust. They demonstrated
to the students how they lived differently in the Australian bush,
using natural resources to help survive. This was then followed by
tribal warfare activities held outside in small groups.
On Monday 13 August Vicky Walker returned to lead an activity with
all the Year 9 and 10 students. The aim of this activity was to help
to clearly understand what the Aboriginal people had to go through
when they were separated from their families. This activity touched
many hearts, with both students and teachers involved.
On Tuesday, school bells for the whole day were changed to the sounds
of the didgeridoo and clap sticks. And on Wednesday 15, to conclude
Aboriginal Reconciliation week, there was a focus on Reconciliation
at the mass for the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. At the
end of the mass, the tree given to us at Reconciliation Gayip
was blessed and planted in the college gardens. The following Thursday,
the Year 12 Religious Education Day was devoted to Aboriginal Reconciliation.
It is our intention at Mazenod to annually hold a Reconciliation
Day, building on what in we have achieved and continuing to create
stepping stones for the future.
The Mission Statement held here by the Rector Fr. John P. Sherman
and Social Justice Committee member Joseph De Rango.
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