Indigenous Connections
Walking with traditional custodians.
The best learning is through human connections, sitting together, listening and sharing…
We acknowledge the Cammeraigal people of the Eora nation who are the Traditional Custodians of the Land on which our school now stands. We acknowledge our gratitude that we share this Land today, our sorrow for the costs of that sharing, and our hope that we can walk together towards peace and justice.
Queenwood is committed to education as a means of seeking justice, peace and prosperity for all.
In our school and community, we wish to deepen understanding of the histories and worldviews of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, celebrate the richness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, and contribute to the ongoing development of Australia through our connection with the world’s oldest continuous living cultures.
Understanding Australia’s First Peoples
“Queenwood is a wonderful site for a school; close to the ocean but set back from the water and protected by the cove.
For young people to understand and appreciate Australia’s First Peoples (our mob) is something I feel is important to us all. If Aboriginal Ways are part of our education from the very earliest age then as adults, we are more likely to live respectfully on this land, the land that holds the world’s oldest living culture. Aboriginal lore is passed on through the generations using ceremony, art, song, dance and storytelling. The depth of the culture is accessible in stages. As we learn, we grow and are able to learn more. This is not unlike the system of education in mainstream Australia, however cultural learning is integrated into life and our living environment, more than structured into lessons in classrooms.
How we experience our environment is crucial to how we learn to know and respect our place and then learn to respect other people’s places. Learning about ‘place’ and respect for personal space is a vital cultural competency for everyone. As we walk on country we walk through the seasons and we see, hear, touch, taste and feel what comes with each season.”
Aunty Julie Foster Smith
Senior Kalkatunga Woman
Indigenous Curriculum Advisor
Our relationship with Macleay Vocational College
Children learn more from our actions than our words; our values must therefore be visibly lived out. For this reason, our engagement with a wide range of issues and causes goes beyond the superficial.
For girls in Year 11, there are opportunities to connect with the students of Macleay Vocational College – both at their campus and ours. MVC is a school offering pathways back for teenagers who have fallen out of education. This is a completely different but equally important experience of Aboriginal culture and contemporary experience. We have a rich connection with this impressive College and our girls grow enormously through their contact with peers who have had such diverse experiences.