On Friday 31st May, the College gathered together to mark Reconciliation Week with a ceremony in the Quadrangle. The key feature of the ceremony was the planting of a native tree – one from our local region – in the school grounds while Paul Kelly’s ‘From Little Things Big Things Grow’ was played. The speech below was delivered by members of our Student Representative Council:

Today, we are here to mark National Reconciliation Week. This year’s theme is ‘grounded in truth, walk together with courage’.

A big part of Reconciliation is talking about and acknowledging the past. Without a shared understanding we can’t build a better future.

Reconciliation Week happens on the same dates each year, May 27 to June 3. This is because these days commemorate two significant milestones in Australia’s journey towards reconciliation; the successful 1967 referendum and the Mabo decision in the High Court.

Most of us have heard of ‘Mabo’ but many of us might not be sure exactly what it means.

When the First Fleet arrived in 1788, the British took possession of Australia by force. They declared the land to be Terrra Nullius, empty land, or land that belongs to nobody. They did not negotiate with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who had inhabited the land for at least 120,000 years. Have a think about that number for a minute. In Year 7 we study “Ancient Civilisations” – but those civilisations are less than 15,000 years old!

British colonisation was violent and thousands of Aboriginal people were killed in battles with the British or massacred by hunting parties. They were moved off their traditional lands. Thousands more died because of diseases like smallpox and influenza which the British brought with them.

In 1901, the Australian Constitution was created and the Commonwealth of Australia was formed. The Constitution classed Aboriginal people alongside plants and animals.

Throughout the 1900s, the Australian Government forcibly removed thousands of Aboriginal children from their families as part of what is known as the stolen generations. The trauma caused by this policy is still felt by Aboriginal communities today.

It was not until 1967 that Aboriginal people were recognized in the Australian Constitution. It is amazing to think that just over 50 years ago, during the lives of our parents and grandparents, that Aboriginal people were still not considered citizens of our nation.

And it was not until the historic Mabo High Court case in 1992, that the concept of terra nullius was overturned. The case, which was brought by a Murray Island man named Eddie Mabo, was the first time that aboriginal land rights, or native title, was legally recognized.

Reconciliation Week is a time for us to remember Australia’s violent colonial history and the racist and cruel policies which have had a devastating impact on Aboriginal communities throughout Australia. But it is also a time to recognise the work already done to achieve reconciliation. Reconciliation is a work in progress—generations of people have fought hard for change and now that journey is in our hands.

Today, we’d like to plant a native tree – a tree from this local area – as a symbol of the way we hope to grow in our understanding of Aboriginal cultures. As the tree thrives, we hope too that our Aboriginal and Torre Strait Islander peers can thrive in our school and beyond. Each time you step past this tree we want you to consider the steps we are taking towards reconciliation.

Reconciliation requires us all to make it a reality, and that might not always be easy. It might take courage to ask a question about Australian history or to call out racism when you hear or see it. But if we all take responsibility for acknowledging our shared past and making changes in the future, we can make reconciliation a reality.

[End]

Bendigo South East College acknowledges the Jaara people of the Dja Dja Wurrung country, and pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We also acknowledge all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across our state and across the nation.

Year 10 student Nay Ye Aung has had one of his original songs played on Triple J Unearthed on Tuesday night. Nay is excited and humbled to have his music broadcasted on national radio.

“It was really cool to hear something of my work, especially as something as personal as this” Nay said.

His song ‘In the Crowd’ was written about one of his former teachers who has since moved away to pursue her dreams. Nay wrote the song for Musician of the Year 2018 and performed it whilst she was present.

“It was a really special moment” he said. “It was something close to my heart…that it was one-hundred percent real.”

He composed this as a part of an album and worked with two violinists and a cellist on this particular track.

His work has already caught the attention of industry heavyweights, including Sony and Mushroom. Triple J presenter Izzy who played the song on her program, making some positive comments about Nay’s song.

“How beautiful are those strings at the end?” she complemented.
“[The song] is so beautiful. He does it all himself. Writing, producing everything. Huge stuff from Nay!”

Ellen Kate-Waayers, the ACA Artistic Development Coach, says that Nay has grown as a performing artist since he first joined BSE.

“He [constantly] works very hard to get better and improve tracks he has already put down, so to have interest from other people is very exciting for him.”

Nay follows former ACA students Fae Scott (yergurl) and Kian with their work recognised on Triple J Unearthed. Whilst Nay has great personal ambitions for the future, his focus remains on his education.

“As much as I love this, if I was offered a million-dollar record deal tomorrow, I would definitely think about my education first.”

The BSE Community is excited to see what the future holds for Nay.

Patti Fawcett through to final of national Melbourne International Comedy Festival Class Clown event

Bendigo South East College student Patti Fawcett has successfully made her way through to
the 2019 Melbourne International Comedy Festival Class Clowns National competition.

Patti took part in the Victorian State event in the Melbourne Class heats at the Arts Centre
Melbourne. She was initially unsuccessful but received a wild card entry, going on to win the
section and the State Final which took place on Saturday 16 March 2019. This was one step
further from her last attempt in 2018.

Patti says that being a part of such an event was a joy and that her success at the regional
and state events were a bonus. She says working alongside other up-and-coming
comedians creates an atmosphere of great energy that makes for an incredible experience.

Patti was able to work alongside professional comedians such as Sammy J and Geraldine
Hickey. She says that the feedback that she received from them was more than valuable for
her going forward.

Patti is a Year 10 student and is involved in The Academy of Creative Arts – one of the
signature programs offered at Bendigo South East College. She says that one of her
teachers (Ms Ellen-Kate Waayers) recommended she apply for this competition. From
there, Patti entered on her own accord and is now reaping the rewards.

Her set is based on various stories from home whilst touching on some of the key issues of
the day, including politics and climate change.

The final of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Class Clowns will take place at the
Melbourne Town Hall on Friday 29 March 2019.

Bendigo South East College had a great day at the Sandhurst Swimming Carnival which took place at the Faith Leech Aquatic Centre last Friday.

BSE had quite a successful day with individual and team achievements. The College finished 2nd in 13-16 year Division A girls, and 2nd in the 13-16 years division A boys categories, as well as a 2nd place overall in the 13-16 year category. BSE managed to finish 3rd in the 17-20 year old category.

Zali Lau broke the 15yr 100m Freestyle record (previously 1:05.07 set in 2014) with a time of 1:04.28. She also broke the record for the 15yr 50m Freestyle (previously 29.62 seconds) with a time of 28.9 seconds.

Emily Kearns also broke two records of her own. She broke the 14yr 50m Freestyle record with a time of 28.65 seconds, which was previously held by Zali Lau with a time of 29.21 seconds. Kearns also broke the 14yr 50m backstroke record with a time of 32.31 seconds (previously 32.32.)

In the diving, Euan Marsden finished 1st in the boys 15-16yr division, whilst Lucy Harrison finished 2nd in the Girls 15-16yr diving. Euan Marsden broke the record in the 16yr Diving.

BSE was able to achieve 45 Top 3 placings across the day in what was a successful day at the pool.

BSE student Brianna O’Bryan has been selected for Victoria’s 2019 Kevin Coombs Cup wheelchair basketball team. Brianna was encouraged to ‘have a go’ and trial for the team by her coach, friends, and family in late January before receiving the news a week later.

Brianna is excited about the opportunity to represent her state, and that her experience so far has opened her eyes to more opportunities and learning experiences. She trains with the squad every Sunday at various locations around Melbourne.

In an article published by Basketball Victoria, newly appointed head coach Ben Hodgens said the group’s strong mix of experience and developing players will give Victoria a great foundation to build on heading into the tournament. “…our newer faces, Chithic Machar, Mitch Bond, Brianna O’Bryan and Charles Smart will look to make a strong start to their Victorian representation in 2019.” Hodgens told Basketball Victoria’s Jarrod Potter.

Victoria will go into the tournaments as reigning champions, and are intent on defending their crown in Townsville in mid-April. Brianna and her team start their campaign on 17 April, coinciding with the Australian Under-18 Junior Championships

READ MORE: 2019 Victorian Kevin Coombs cup team announced – http://basketballvictoria.com.au/2019-victorian-kevin-coombs-cup-team-announced/