Indigenous Yarns

Jingi Walla SJC community,

We are now in Gagabalingu, the Bundjalung season of the goanna, during this season the wind begins to turn to the north.  The weather begins to warm up as the goannas, snakes and other reptiles begin to wake up and move around.  Silky oak flowers begin to bloom indicating that the turtles are fat.  The north winds start to pick up and bring the migration of the snipes, curlews and other shore birds.  On the far horizon of the ocean whales and their young can been seen making their way back south to their feeding grounds

In the last week of August, SJC came together to celebrate NAIDOC and our annual Ngalingah Ngurrilah – Coming Together to Celebrate.  It was an incredible week of culture, learning, and fun for our whole school community.

We kicked things off with the launch of our amazing new school artwork by local Bundjalung artist, Christine Slabb.  This piece, titled “Pillars of Life,” draws on our College values and the Gospel, symbolising sincerity, humility, courage and wisdom.  The design reflects the spirit of cooperation between parents, community, and the College, reminding us of the foundations we are all called to live by each day.  It is a reminder of our connection to Country and each other.  We are so grateful to Christine for producing this amazing artwork for our College, which we hope to use fittingly in the coming future.

Our NAIDOC celebrations then came alive with dances from the Gudjinburra Dance group, music from Bundjalung artists JK-47 and Birren Slabb, and our own St Joe’s Singers performing Inanay to celebrate our Torres Strait Islander connections.  Students had the chance to jump into all kinds of cultural workshops — from weaving, art, and spear throwing to seeded jewellery making, dance, short films, learning dance and language yarns.  We were fortunate to also be able to host some St James students for part of their day and we thank Andrew Stubbs for bringing them over to experience the day.  We thank all of our students for coming together and trying many new things.  We hope that everyone was able to experience lots of different activities and we hope to get bigger and better next year.  We would also like to thank Taliah Fuimaono from the Gold Coast Titans NRLW for coming along and having a yarn to the staff and students. 

The final event of the day is one of our favourite traditions — the NAIDOC Touch Footy Match, SJC All Stars vs Indigenous All Stars.  After a fast-paced game, the SJC All Stars came away with the win, with the real highlight being the deadly skills and spirit shown by everyone who played.  We applaud our players of the match Billy DeGorgio (SJC Allstars) and Tianah Lea-Johnson (SJC Allstars) who showed leadership, skill and great sportsmanship during the game.

To finish off the week we also judged our inaugural AWC Deadly Doors competition, we had many amazing designs from many talented students and we congratulate our winner Hoade 6 who took the win with majority votes and won their homeroom a class party and house points.  So Deadly!  We look forward to holding this again next year. 

SJC SRC

We would like to congratulate the following students who will be a strong voice and guide in the SJC SRC for 2026.  It makes us very proud to see our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students represent so strongly in leadership, Congratulations to the following students!!

  • Jordan Parry – Senior ISRC Leader (Year 12)
  • Darcy Busbridge – SRC Representative for Hanly (Year 11)
  • Dakina-Veila Penola – SRC Representative for Hoade (Year 10)
  • Tilakini Gibbons – Junior ISRC Leader (Year 9)
  • Georgie Busbridge – SRC Representative for Hanly (Year 8)

We are incredibly grateful of these students for putting themselves forward to be leaders, and we can’t wait to see the passion, commitment, and fresh ideas they bring to their roles.  Good luck!!

2025 Marist Fathers Grant

A reminder for families who are receiving the Marist Fathers Grant this year please refer to the email received earlier in the year from Ella Robinson for you to upload information and receipts before the end of Term. 

Congratulations Year 12 2025

Finally we would like to say a huge congratulations to all of our Year 12 students on finishing thirteen years of schooling, especially Ajileen, Kye, Sierra, Chloe and Vrndi.  We are so proud of the effort, determination and resilience that they have shown throughout not only the year but also throughout their time here at Joeys.  With HSC exams coming up, we wish them well and encourage all of them to stay focused, maintain a balanced study routine, and do your best.  Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your education journey, and Good luck and blessings for the future.

We wish all families a wonderful break blessed with fun and relaxation. We can’t wait to see you all back in Term 4 and Thank you! Bugalwan  

Mrs Lexe Busbridge and Mr Tom Busbridge
SJC Aboriginal Education Workers