Cammeraygal High School

Reconciliation is about the journey taken to unify  relations between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous peoples. Building connections, respect, and trust between the wider Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is crucial to reconciliation. We are committed to developing strong reciprocal partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the community so that we can learn from one another and develop a true understanding, acknowledgement, and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and histories and continuing contributions.

A reconciled Australia is one where there is unity between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous peoples, where the histories of First Nations peoples are truthfully acknowledged and accepted, where educational and community institutions actively uphold institutional integrity and where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples participate equally and equitably in all areas of life. 

Our Reconciliation Action Plan aims to invite the wider school community to acknowledge the past injustices, and the ongoing inequalities experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples from colonisation and today, and to commit to working towards a more equal, equitable and respectful future. 

In Dennis Foley’s book ‘What the Colonist Never Knew’ he expresses, “The colonists understood that the Sydney Cove area was a ceremonial ground, because local identities like Bennelong told them, but the subtleties of the other areas round the harbour eluded them. In time, nearly all the scant knowledge they had gained was lost. Few colonists mastered any of the Sydney languages, which meant they learned mainly by observation and inferences based on their own society.”