NAIDOC WEEK – Celebrating Culture, Connection and Community

Sharing Stories with Actor, Shantae Barnes-Cowan

NAIDOC Week (July 7-14) celebrates and recognises the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. In the lead-up to NAIDOC Week 2024, St Aloysius students were fortunate to be able to listen to Australian actor, Shantae Barnes-Cowan, who shared her experiences and achievements in the film industry. Shantae is a proud Adnyamathanha woman from Whyalla and has starred in various television and film projects, including Sweet As, Total Control, Firebite and Wyrmwood: Apocalypse. Shantae spoke about how she discovered a love of acting, the importance of culture and family and how she managed her time on set while completing Year 12. Shantae is a woman of many and varied talents; In 2018, Shantae was awarded the Whyalla NAIDOC Week award for Female Sportsperson of the Year. In 2020, Shantae was awarded the Whyalla Australia Day Young Citizen of the Year Award and was nominated for the Channel 7 Young Achiever Award in the Aboriginal Achievement category. In 2021, while studying Year 12, Shantae worked on film sets across Australia, first appearing in Wyrmwood Apocalypse, followed by Sweet As, and then Firebite, all in that year. In 2022, she was nominated as one of Adelaide’s 26 most inspiring women.

These achievements were followed by another outstanding career milestone in 2023, when Shantae was nominated for Best Lead Actress in Film at the AACTA Awards – one of Australia’s most prestigious arts honours. Shantae’s personal achievements are equally as impressive as her personal ones, and her resilience, courage and work ethic make her a phenomenal role model for all who aspire to transform their lives and overcome challenges.

NAIDOC Week Donuts for Tjindu Foundation

Although NAIDOC Week falls during the school holidays this year, students still had the opportunity to celebrate by purchasing donuts in the colours of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags on Thursday Week 10! The funds raised from donut sales will support local, grassroots organisation, the Tjindu Foundation. Tjindu is close to the hearts of members within our SAC community and provides education and sporting opportunities for First Nations youth.Thank you to all who supported Tjindu by purchasing a donut, and we look forward to sharing the total amount raised soon!

ConnectING WITH FAMILIES AND FRIENDS

This year’s NAIDOC Week theme is ‘Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud’, where the aim is to ignite the flame in culture. This year to celebrate, on Tuesday Week 10, we invited family members of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to come join us in some fun lunchtime activities.

The students had a chance to network and connect with the families of their friends, while drawing, colouring in, weaving baskets with wool and doing puzzles. The goal of this event was to celebrate culture, and the community that we are so lucky to have within the school. This event allowed the students to celebrate their cultural identity, while empowering the students within, and allowing them to grow into young leaders, where they can thrive and advocate for their community.’

Ms Viviana Graney
Primary Coordinator (Teaching & Learning) | First Nations Focus Teacher

Ms Maja Tongerie
Learning Support Officer

Ms Maddie Kelly
Communications Officer | JAM Coordinator

NAIDOC WEEK – Celebrating Culture, Connection and Community