On Thursday 3 June Mercedes College students took part in the Reconciliation Walk held in the City centre. Students walked from school to the Boola Bardip Museum where they listened to some inspirational speakers talking about Reconciliation and how everyone should all come together as a nation and embrace our Australian history and culture of the First Nations people.
Mr James Webb and his family did the smoking ceremony and danced to the sound of the didgeridoo before everyone set off down the street to Yagan Square where they finished with more dancing on a huge sand mural. The group passed the Moorditj Mob from Wesley College who were dancing in Yagan Square. They got to put some paint onto a mural and have something to eat before heading back to school.
June 3rd is a significant date in Reconciliation Week, it celebrates Mabo Day where the High Court overturned the legal concept of ‘terra nullius’ when Eddie Mabo won the High Court decision. This decision acknowledged the traditional rights for Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal people to their land and waters and paved the way for native title in Australia.
