³Ô¹Ï²»´òìÈ

Connection to Country – what does it look like? What does it mean? Term 1, 2025, was full of answers to these questions as several ³Ô¹Ï²»´òìÈ Archdiocese Catholic Schools (³Ô¹Ï²»´òìÈ) schools held events to help expand their community’s relationship with local culture.

Traditional Custodians of the land were invited to spend time in schools and host formal Welcome to Country ceremonies, yarning circles, artistic collaborations and more.

Of our 116,486 students, 846 identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander – ³Ô¹Ï²»´òìÈ strives to help every single learner engage with the depth and beauty of First Nations cultures. Some examples of the many Term 1 events include:

Our Lady of Lourdes School, Bayswater

Welcome to Country, smoking ceremony and education sessions.

Our Lady of Lourdes School welcomed Wurundjeri man, Thane Garvey, to deliver a traditional smoking ceremony. Thane taught students that a Welcome to Country instils morals of respect and purpose – much like the Catholic values we teach at ³Ô¹Ï²»´òìÈ.


One student reflected: ‘I have more of an awareness of Wurundjeri people – that we must respect and take care of the land we are on and, by doing this, we are showing respect to the traditional owners of the land – the Wurundjeri people.’



Sacred Heart School, Diamond Creek

Welcome to Country ceremony with Aunty Joy Murphy Wandin and art collaboration with Ben Nabea Davis.

The Sacred Heart School community was honoured to welcome Senior Elder of the Wurundjeri people, Aunty Joy Murphy Wandin, to host a Welcome to Country ceremony – a tradition which she explained as ‘a very important way of giving Aboriginal people back their place in society … It’s paying respect in a formal sense and following traditional custom in a symbolic way’.


The event also featured a powerful didgeridoo performance by Ganga Giri and a smoking ceremony conducted by Craig Murphy Wandin. The ashes from the ceremony were later placed around the school’s native hibiscus, reinforcing the connection to land and tradition.

Year 3/4 students had a wonderful opportunity to collaborate with Torres Strait Islander artist Ben Nabea Davis on a bollard for the school’s ‘Wominjeka’ courtyard. The symbols on the bollard tell the story of two young leaders finding purpose along the path of development – a journey that reflects the path we light for every ³Ô¹Ï²»´òìÈ student.


Sacred Heart Girls' College, Hugesdale

Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony with Aunty Joy, Craig Murphy and Ganga Giri.

Aunty Joy, her son Craig and Ganga Giri also visited Sacred Heart Girls’ College. A Year 9 student’s reflection sums up the experience:

‘This sacred and serene ceremony not only educated me on a very important Indigenous ritual, but I also got to be welcomed to their abundant culture and be involved in the practices which have been performed over many, many years. Living on Indigenous Country makes learning and listening about Aboriginal culture and heritage so special and intriguing. I am so grateful to have witnessed how the Indigenous people are so connected and involved with their land; it reminds us about how we should be respectful and reverent to their home. I really believe that our school loved being a part of this experience.’
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‘If we take from Country, it is important that we give back because there has been so much loss and devastation on Country that can never be replaced. But there is a future; there’s today, there’s tomorrow and for your children and then generations after you. Nurture Country’, declared Aunty Joy.



As we teach and learn on Country, ³Ô¹Ï²»´òìÈ strives to support every member of our community to understand, appreciate and engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture.
During NAIDOC Week, we are pleased to be reflecting on First Nations cultural practices that occurred earlier this year in our schools. You can learn more about NAIDOC .