By Mikayla van Loon
Mount Evelyn’s St Mary’s Catholic Primary School has raised the Aboriginal flag outside the school’s main entrance with a traditional Smoking Ceremony hosted by the Wandin family.
Heavy rain couldn’t dampen the mood as Wurundjeri elder Aunty Joy Murphy Wandin conducted a Welcome to Country and her son Craig lit the fire for a Smoking Ceremony.
For Aunty Joy, it was an honour to be able to conduct a traditional cleansing ritual at the school, in front of all the students to share with them Aboriginal culture.
“It’s a real moment of pride to come to St. Mary’s and have our, Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung, people, as the custodians of Country, recognised, but equally it’s about the sharing of not only cultures but beliefs,” she said.
Paying her respects to not only her ancestors but to her father, Aunty Joy told the children of the importance of family, connection, helping one another and looking after the land.
“We always pay our respects to them for who we are and where we come from. I’d also like to acknowledge you, each and every one of you, and your culture, and your belonging,” she said.
“When we have a ceremony, it’s important to pay our respects to not only the land but to our people who have looked after it for a very long time.”
Although the rain prevented staff and students from taking part in the smoking, Aunty Joy said it represents healing.
“It’s about cleansing, not only for a new beginning, but it’s also about remembering those of our people who, before colonisation days when white people first came to this country, that so many of them died and we don’t know where they are resting.
“So we hope that this cleansing ceremony will give them a place to finally rest.”
Aunty Joy said she hopes this is the beginning of other Catholic schools taking the opportunity to celebrate and acknowledge Aboriginal culture in this way.
“Any other school, in the Catholic realm that might like to join in, we’d welcome that as well. So it’s bringing all people together and when we learn more about each other, we get a better understanding and respect.”
For St Mary’s principal Angela Glennie, having taught Indigenous culture over the last term and as a way of joining “our responsibility as Catholics [and] as custodians of the environment” it was a harmonious way of bringing together two ideologies and practices.
“In our mission statement we have inclusivity and it brings together our Catholicity of knowledge and respect for all people and also the honour that we give to Indigenous people and their heritage for looking after this beautiful land that we’re so thankful to be part of,” she said.
The Australian and Aboriginal flags were gifted by Casey MP Aaron Violi who said it was a privilege to be a part of seeing three cultures coming together as one.
“When we work together with those three strands, we are unbreakable as a country and ceremonies like this are so important to remind us of our history but also our future together,” he said.
“I’m very honoured to be part of this Smoking Ceremony, to provide these flags to this wonderful school and to Mrs Glennie and Aunty Joy who have done amazing work to bring these together and turn a flag ceremony into something culturally important for all of us and for the students.”
