National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) celebrates the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Held each year from the first Sunday in July to the following Sunday, this year’s NAIDOC Week ran from 6–13 July, coinciding with the school holidays.

At the start of Term 3, JPC marked NAIDOC Week during Pastoral Care on Wednesday. PC classes linked this year’s NAIDOC theme “The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy” with CECG’s faith focus of “Pilgrims of Hope.” Each class crafted a “pledge of hope” in the spirit of Australia’s First Nations peoples, writing these pledges on paper footprints that now form a “Pilgrims’ Path” display in the Learning Street.

Later that week, a group of JPC students attended Mass at St Christopher’s Cathedral alongside schools from across the Archdiocese. Lucy S from Kennedy House represented JPC by leading the Responsorial Psalm and Gospel acclamation.

It was a wonderful opportunity for our community to honour the world’s oldest continuous living culture and to reflect on how we can all contribute to “strength, vision and legacy” in the generations to come.

Ruth Hill
Science Teacher & First Nations Facilitator