NAIDOC celebrations at St Patrick’s Lochinvar

St Patrick’s Primary School, Lochinvar welcomed Wonnaruah elder, Nanna Wilson and Worimi dancer and didgeridoo player, Mauri Perry who shared their cultural knowledge with the students in celebration of NAIDOC Week.

Nanna Wilson taught the students about Aboriginal languages, while Mauri taught the boys a version of the ‘War Cry’. 

The NAIDOC Week celebrations were organised with input from the school’s Indigenous students and the assistance of the Student Representative Council (SRC).  

Some of the culture activities students participated in included:

  • Language
  • Aboriginal dance
  • ‘What is NAIDOC?’
  • Bush tucker food tasting
  • Traditional games

Year 5 and 6 students had the opportunity to watch the recently released Adam Goodes documentary, The Final Quarter and explored teasing, tormenting, bullying and racism.

The SRC, in conjunction with Indigenous students, organised face painting and temporary NAIDOC tattoos, with students proudly wearing ochre dots, the Aboriginal flag and tattoos.

They also organised a student book donation, with all books collected sent to Indigenous children in Coonabarabran. 

The week concluded with an amazing whole school performance of the Aboriginal dances learnt during the Aboriginal dance workshop. The boys presented a powerful version of the ‘War Cry’ and the girls performed a ‘Clearing Dance’. The performance was a profoundly moving experience for those in the audience.   

Feedback from students and teachers was extremely positive, with many requests to learn more. 

Follow mnnews.today on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.