SuniTAFE Swan Hill Campus Celebrates Reconciliation Week

The event, hosted by SuniTAFE’s Telkaya First Nations Cultural Support Centre, was open to the public and encouraged attendees to reflect on this year’s Reconciliation Week theme ‘All In,’ and the role that each and every person plays in creating meaningful reconciliation.

Attendees were welcomed with a smoking ceremony performed by Iree Paul, a proud Wamba Wemba, Wadi Wadi, Wotjobaluk, Dja Dja Wurrung, Taungurung, Ngurai Illum Wurrung woman, who later performed traditional dances alongside her seven-year-old daughter.

In particular, one of the dances performed by the mother-daughter duo highlighted the barriers of generational trauma and how it is important to uplift the next generation and enforce pride in culture.

During the celebration, SuniTAFE was also incredibly proud to unveil a plaque marking 30 years of the Swan Hill campus Koorie Art Unit.

This milestone acknowledges the impact of the department over the past three decades, including the many First Nations learners who have benefited from the cultural connection and creative expression that the Koorie Art Unit facilitates.

SuniTAFE CEO Brett Millington was proud to attend the Reconciliation Week celebration and unveil the milestone plaque.

“We were incredibly grateful to the Swan Hill community for their amazing attendance at our Reconciliation Week event,” he said.

“The Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony were truly connective, and to be present for the ceremonial dances and accompanying stories from Iree and her daughter was enlightening and re-enforced our commitment to being ‘All In’ for Reconciliation.

“I could not have been more proud of our team for their hard work in delivering such an event and was even more happy to be present for the unveiling of the 30th Anniversary plaque of the Koorie Art Unit within TAFE in Swan Hill by Aunty Steph Charles, a testament to the hard work and dedication of educators over the past three decades.”