At Badger Creek Primary School, we are proud of our ongoing commitment to understanding, supporting, and celebrating the diverse backgrounds of our students and families. We hold a strong and enduring connection with First Nations communities in Healesville. This is a relationship that continues to shape our school’s identity and values, as highlighted in previous newsletters.

Recent events, including Anzac Day commemorations, community sporting gatherings, and political commentary, have left many of us feeling saddened and disheartened. It’s likely that these moments have caused distress for some of our families as well. At times like these, our school’s role in promoting empathy, understanding, and unity becomes even more important.

Each year at Badger Creek Primary School, we begin our school year with a Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony. These ceremonies are not only traditions, but they are also vital acts of respect, responsibility, and recognition of the deep relationships we share with the land and with each other. Our students also contribute by creating their own Acknowledgment of Country in each classroom, offering personal and meaningful reflections that show a genuine respect for First Nations culture. These acknowledgments begin each school day and are a core part of our school culture.

Unfortunately, we’ve seen recent public examples of disrespect toward these practices, such as heckling during a Welcome to Country and rhetoric dismissing its importance. These responses often come from a place of misunderstanding and lack of knowledge about the significance of these traditions. While these actions can be discouraging, they only reinforce our belief in the importance of education and cultural awareness.

At Badger Creek P.S., we remain hopeful. That hope is fuelled by the way our staff and students embrace Aboriginal perspectives, not as an add-on, but as a meaningful, embedded part of our learning. Through education, we create opportunities for shared understanding, mutual respect, and unity. In doing so, we empower the next generation to value and honour more than 60,000 years of continuous culture and heritage. Together, we can build a future where all voices are respected, and all stories are heard.

Wominjeka
We respect the Traditional Custodians of the land, the Wurundjeri People.
We thank Bunjil for watching over us, whilst we learn, play and explore the land we are on today.
We appreciate the Wurundjeri People for taking care of Birrarung, the land, waterways and all creatures who live within Coranderrk Creek.
We will only take what we need, from the tops of the trees to the roots of the earth and nurture the land we live on.
We pay our respect to the Elders past and present.
Acknowledgement of Country developed by 5/6C