Term 2 Week 6

National Reconciliation Prayer

Creator Spirit,

All creation once declared your glory,

Your laws were honoured and trusted,

Forgive us our neglect as our country approaches

the most critical moment in its history.

Listen to our prayer as we turn to you,

Hear the cry of our land and its people,

Just as you heard the cry of Jesus,

your Son, on the Cross.

Help us to replace our national shame

With true national pride by restoring the

dignity of our First People whose antiquity is

unsurpassed.

May our faith and trust in you increase.

Only then will our nation grow strong and be

a worthy place for all who wish to make their home in our land.

Amen.

© Elizabeth Pike, September 1997

Aboriginal Catholic Ministry, Melbourne.

From the Principal

Dear families and friends of St Anthony’s,

Reconciliation has a number of meanings both in our church life as well as in our secular world. In our church it is the sacramental connection with our forgiving father and his son, sent as a sacrifice for our sins which allows us to repent and reconnect with him. I believe that is one of the greatest aspects of our faith - the ability to recognise what we have done wrong, to say sorry and change our ways and to begin afresh.

In our secular world it has a similar meaning and in Australia this past week we have recognised Reconciliation Week. This quote from the National Reconciliation Week website explains the significance:

“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. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, Australia’s colonial history is characterised by devastating land dispossession, violence, and racism. Over the last half century, however, many significant steps towards reconciliation have been taken. Reconciliation is an ongoing journey that reminds us that while generations of Australians have fought hard for meaningful change, future gains are likely to take just as much, if not more, effort.”

https://www.reconciliation.org.au/

At St Anthony’s, we have built strong relationships with our indigenous community through their elders and knowledge sharers and through the openness and engagement of our students and staff. Led by Emma Marshall and before her, Lisa Watson and Bianca de Deuge, we have established relationships that have given our students amazing learning experiences. Through stories shared and mutual respect we have played our very small part in the wider reconciliation story.

My own personal understanding has grown because of our relationships with Aunty Dawn, Uncle Hank, Bianca Templar and Djuker as well as conversations with indigenous students and parents in our school. We have established an authentic connection of which we should be proud. And, in doing so, we hope to influence future generations on their journey towards reconciliation.

Welcome UTAS Students

For the next few weeks we will be hosting UTAS Students Robert Conrad in 3/4M and Meg Carswell in Gr 1. As part of our commitment to UTAS and their Initial Teacher Education program, it is our pleasure to support Robert and Meg on their teaching journey.

Sincerely,

Jason Perry

Principal

Reconciliation Week at St Anthony’s

We are honoured to have started this significant week with a beautiful Smoking Ceremony led by the incredible Djuker and students. The ceremony cleansed the land of negative energy and brought back positive healing energy, allowing us to connect deeper with the spirit of the land. We washed in the smoke of Peppermint gum leaves, a kinship tree for the Aboriginal people, symbolizing our unity and respect for the ancient traditions.

After the ceremony, Djuker shared his profound insights and experiences as a First Nations person with our students. His stories and teachings during this Reconciliation Week have provided an invaluable opportunity for our community to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of Aboriginal culture.

Sea of Hearts and Sea of Fish Challenge 2024

This Reconciliation Week, our students took part in the inspiring Sea of Hearts Challenge. Each student reflected on what reconciliation means to them and expressed their thoughts on a heart.  This year we also took part in the Sea of Fish Challenge. 

With our buddy classes we created a fish. We used the colours of the Torres Strait Islander flag (blue, green, black and white) to weave and create our own fish. The traditional activity of Fish weaving with coconut leaves has occurred in the Torres Strait Islands for generations, this activity has been passed down from the Old People down to the future Old People.

Tassie Mums Coats Donations

Thank you for your generous donations of coats for Tassie Mums. The donated coats were dropped into the Tassie Mums drop off point last week and are on their way to their recipients just in time for Winter!