Australia is a vibrant and multicultural country — from the oldest continuous culture of our first Australians to the cultures of our newest arrivals from around the world. Harmony Week is a time to celebrate Australian multiculturalism and the value our diversity contributes to our communities. The message of Harmony Week is ‘everyone belongs’; a message that is consistently promoted at St Benedict’s where we believe that ‘Everyone who presents themselves are to be treated as Christ.’

Australia is one of the most successful multicultural countries in the world and we should celebrate this and work to maintain it. Harmony Week is about inclusiveness, respect and belonging for all Australians, regardless of cultural or linguistic background, united by a set of core Australian values.

Earlier this week we celebrated Harmony Day by students wearing orange and black clothes or cultural dress, and by participating in a variety of activities that included Aboriginal storytelling and gum leaf painting, a cultural scavenger hunt and artwork focused on multiculturalism. We were fortunate to be supported by Mrs Katrina Cambridge (Catholic Education Aboriginal School and Community Officer) for our celebration of Aboriginal culture.

Our school is committed to contributing to a community of wellbeing and love that fosters respect for everyone and provides a safe and caring environment for all. Respect is to consider the feelings, rights and wishes of others. We are advised to view things from the perspective of others, seek to understand why they may feel as they do and how it might be appropriate to respond to their behaviour before making a judgement about how to respond to them.

We also promote that poor behaviour should not be accepted and that we should be ‘upstanders’ rather than ‘bystanders.’ We should always try to show kindness and compassion to others and ‘be the living Gospel.’

Loving God,

just as you chose your Apostles from all walks of life,

we pray that we may follow your example

and embrace the unique qualities that each of us possess,

so that we may bring about harmony on this earth.

Amen

God Bless

Alana Quirk

Principal (Acting)