Narragunnawali Awards 2017 – Early Learning

Winner:   Explore & Develop Penrith South (Western Sydney, NSW)

Finalists:    Balnarring Pre-School (Mornington Peninsula, VIC)

               Uranquinty Preschool (Wagga Wagga, NSW)

Narragunnawali Awards 2017 – Schools

Winner:           Queanbeyan Public School (Queanbeyan, NSW)

Finalists:          Middle Park Primary School (Melbourne, VIC)

                        St Virgil’s College (Hobart, TAS)

On Monday 27 November, Reconciliation Australia announced the winners of the inaugural Narragunnawali Awards at a presentation event held at the University of Canberra. The event was attended by representatives from each of the finalist schools and early learning services, and was live-streamed to our national audience on Reconciliation Australia’s Facebook page.

Each of the 2017 Narragunnawali Awards finalists were commended for their exceptional commitment to driving reconciliation in their school and early learning communities.

The winners of two awards – one for an outstanding school and one for an outstanding early learning – were decided by an esteemed judging panel comprised of leaders in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education: Geraldine Atkinson, Sharon Davis and Professor Peter Buckskin.

The major prize for the Narragunnawali Award Winners from each category is a fully funded event that will take place in the winning school and the winning early learning service respectfully. The purpose of the two prize events is to celebrate achievements with the community.

The winner in the schools category, Queanbeyan Public School, has developed deep and broad relationships with community, creating a palpable sense that Aboriginal and Torres Strait peoples, histories and cultures are an integral part of the school and its environs.

The winner in the early learning service category, Explore & Develop Penrith South, have demonstrated that reconciliation can be meaningfully addressed, even from the youngest of ages. They haven’t shied away from difficult conversations and have engaged their young students in learning about topics such as Stolen Generations and the challenges of holding a national day on January 26.

Finalists attended a workshop earlier in the day, to reflect on the challenges, successes and next steps to continue driving reconciliation in the classroom, around their schools and early learning services and within their communities.

Learn more about each of the finalists and their reconciliation stories below:

Narragunnawali Awards 2017 – Early Learning

Narragunnawali Awards 2017 – Schools