Forbes Preschool celebrating Reconciliation win at Narragunnawali Awards

The vital role Australian educators and children can play in reconciliation is being celebrated, with the announcement of the winners in the prestigious Narragunnawali Awards, held in Canberra yesterday evening.

Forbes Preschool Kindergarten, located in rural New South Wales, were recognised for their engagement with the principles of reconciliation in education for their area as winners in the early learning category. 

Narragunnawali is part of Reconciliation Australia and supports early learning services and schools to foster knowledge and pride in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures. 

The Narragunnawali Awards, sponsored by the BHP Foundation, celebrate early learning services and schools that are striving for a just, equitable and reconciled Australia.

CEO for Reconciliation Australia, Karen Mundine, said all the finalists, and those commended, have enthusiastically embraced reconciliation, saying she was “so impressed by the calibre and creativity of the nominees this year, and particularly of the finalists.”

Those in contention for the awards have been working in partnership with Elders, Traditional Owners and community members to ensure teaching and learning is relevant to their local community context, actively engaging with the true histories of the Country on which their learning environment respectively stands, and exploring themes of racism, holistic approaches to wellbeing, land management practices and sustainability, Ms Mundine said.

She described the work of the nominees as part of a broader movement of Australians “learning, unlearning and relearning our shared histories in schools and early learning services around the country.”

Early learning finalists for the Narragunnawali Awards 2019 were Forbes Preschool Kindergarten (NSW) and Barefoot Early Childhood (QLD). In the schools category, Maclean High School (NSW), Tamborine Mountain State School (QLD) and Moolap Primary School (VIC) were recognised. 

The following schools and early learning services were commended by the Judging Panel:

• The Friends Child Care Centre, East Lismore, NSW
• Goodstart Early Learning Elizabeth Vale, Elizabeth Vale, SA
• Evans Head-Woodburn Preschool, Evans Head, NSW
• Mossman State School, Mossman, QLD
• Lloyd Street Primary School, Malvern East, VIC
• Goondiwindi State School, Goondiwindi, QLD

The Judging Panel for the awards consisted of Bangerang/Wiradjuri woman Geraldine Atkinson, Bardi Kija woman Sharon Davis, and Narungga man Professor Peter Buckskin.

Narragunnawali (pronounced narra-gunna-wally) is a word from the language of the Ngunnawal people, Traditional Owners of the land on which Reconciliation Australia’s Canberra office is located, and means ‘alive, wellbeing, coming together and peace.’

The Narragunnawali online platform offers a wide range of free resources that help educators bring reconciliation into the learning environment. More than 35,000 individuals have signed up to the Narragunnawali platform, and more than 4,500 early learning services and schools have commenced a Reconciliation Action Plan.

More information about Narragunnawali can be accessed via their website.