Gawura School sits within St Andrews Cathedral School and is a unique, highly regarded, coeducational Kindergarten to Year 6 day school for First Nations children who live at home with their families. We are proud to have been named 2020 Australian School of the Year.
You can read the School’s Restoration Action Plan and First Nations Strategic Plan.
Gawura School acknowledges Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognises their continuing connection to land, water and communities. We pay our respects to Elders, past, present and emerging. It is our privilege to work and learn on Gadigal Land.
To all our Aunties, Mums, Elders and caregivers in our community, we see you lifting us up, protecting us, sharing your knowledge and deep wisdom, and holding our communities strong.
Today, we honour the love, care and strength that surrounds our young people every day. It takes all of us to nurture our pod, the next generation, and we are grateful for all that you give, today and everyday. ... See MoreSee Less
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Last weekend Anthony, Zavier, Graham, BJ & Marlon - our Junior AFL team - totally dominated in their game against Barker College.
Our boys are training hard, working as a team and developing their skills.
Who’ll be on the sidelines this weekend backing them as they take on their next opponents? See you there! ... See MoreSee Less
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As National Reconciliation Week (27 May - 3 June) approaches - let's reflect on the theme of "All In" in the context of being an ally.
What can “All In” mean?
• Not leaving the emotional work to First Nations people to carry alone.
• Responding to confusion or push back with curiosity rather than defensiveness.
• Asking: Who is having the conversation with the people who are frustrated?
• No shying away from having the "Hard Yarns".
Being outraged when you see something wrong may be easy, and being silent can be common. However not everyone has those choices.
So, as we approach National Reconciliation Day - and in fact every day - think about how you can directly contribute to change and support our First Nations peoples, our students and our community and stand up to unfairness.
[Courtesy of Aunty Munya and Carla Evolve Communities ] ... See MoreSee Less
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At our annual fundraiser Gawura Gathering, one of the auction items to bid on was to be the coolest parent ever!
Ooops, we mean, kindly and generously supporting our School by bidding on a Krispy Kreme party for your child's class!
The lucky class was Ms Whelan's class - Year 2 Yurong courtesy of Isaac.
I think the smiles say it all. 🍩 Thank you Isaac's parents for being part of a fun night and getting behind our fundraiser and becoming the coolest parents ever in our School. ... See MoreSee Less
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Did you see Dr McGonigle's message in the latest St Andrew's Cathedral School newsletter?
See below part of what Dr McGonigle shared with our School community.
Racism and the work of Reconciliation.
''I arrived on Australian soil to work at St Andrew’s Cathedral School and Gawura School in January 2017. It was a year’s secondment from my job in the UK.
"I had an immediate soul connection to Australia. Yet, what quickly followed was a revelation of the raw scar that exists on the face of society in regard to First Nation’s People.
"I had long worked in areas of social deprivation and social conflict in Northern Ireland and internationally and had sadly come to expect some realities. Yet, I was shocked by what I experienced here, its depth and complexity and the shameful recency of political, economic and social movement on recognising the issues and starting to bring solutions.
"I soon had the privilege of working alongside Pastor Ray and Sharon Minniecon, two of the founders of Gawura School and have continued to do so in my role as Head of School since 2022. Their gracious, compassionate and relentlessly hopeful approach is a constant inspiration to me.
"Then Saturday morning happened. Organised heckling during Pastor Ray’s Acknowledgement of Country at the ANZAC Day Dawn Service in Martin Place. Followed by excuses for the behaviour being widely made related to the sincerity and place of Acknowledgments of Country and Welcomes to Country (and a great deal of confusion and misunderstanding about the difference between the two!). There are appropriate ways to sincerely debate such an issue.
"Pastor Ray is one of the most profound human beings I have ever had the privilege of meeting. We recently met to discuss school responses to racism. He shared how the previous Saturday, members of his immediate family had been denied access to a local nail bar on the basis of race. That is their daily reality: exclusion, prejudice, pain and burden even in metropolitan, progressive, inner-city Sydney.
"We discussed racist comments our First Nations students receive and the Australian regulatory environment as regards racism. I explained how in the UK every racist incident in a school gets recorded and reported to the equivalent of NESA and police. No matter how small the incident may seem, individuals and whole families may then be investigated.
"The rise of racism of many kinds in our society is plain and painful to see. It affects numerous races in our community, not only First Nations students and families.
"Yet, we at St Andrew’s Cathedral School can, do and will show a better way."
We couldn't agree more Dr McGonigle.
Our Schools' Vision is "Empowering confident, hope-filled champions of a just tomorrow." For this to occur, we all must stand up, speak up, show up for our community, our Mob and for a better future. We want Pastor Ray, his family and our community to know that we stand beside you. ❤️💛🖤
#westandwithuncleray ... See MoreSee Less
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As we approach ANZAC Day, we would like to acknowledge all the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women who have served our Nation.
"It is hard to know the exact number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander service people because the Australian Defence Force did not record the cultural background of members until recently. In the early 1900s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were not legally able to join the Army, so many hid their identity in order to sign up.
"More recently, many families, Community-members and organisations have been working to bring to light the stories, contributions and experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander service people. We now know that:
A number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people served in the Boer War (1899-1902)
Over 1000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people served in World War I (1914-1918) and around 70 fought at Gallipoli
At least 3000 Aboriginal and 850 Torres Strait Islander people served in World War II (1939-1945)
In both World Wars, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people had the highest participation rates in the military as a proportion of their population of Australia.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have participated in all military conflicts since the World Wars, including in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan and in peacekeeping operations including in Somalia and East Timor.
In 2011 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 1.7% of the Australian Army.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have also been involved in work at home to support the war effort. For example, during World War II, entire Aboriginal communities in Northern Australia did defence work such as construction, farming and butchery for the army.
In 1981, the NorthWest Mobile Force or NORFORCE was created in the Northern Territory. This unit continues today and has 60% Aboriginal membership."
So, as we commemorate this day, tip our hats to our soldiers, wear that red poppy - let's remember all soldiers who sacrificed for our Country, including our First Nations soldiers.
[SOURCE: www.instagram.com/deadlystory/]
[IMAGE from: First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria] ... See MoreSee Less
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