Celebrating 50 Years of Deadly: NAIDOC Week at St Mary’s

POSTED July 24 2026 , Boarding, Junior School, News, Senior School

This year marked a significant milestone as we celebrated the 50th anniversary of NAIDOC Week under the theme ‘50 Years of Deadly.’

Our Indigenous students led a week of learning, storytelling, cultural sharing and community connection, creating meaningful opportunities for our community to deepen its understanding and appreciation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and achievements.

Throughout the week, students across the School engaged in a wide range of activities celebrating First Nations culture and creativity. Click here to see a video of all the highlights from the week. 

NAIDOC assembly

A highlight of the week was our NAIDOC Assembly, where students gathered around a spectacular sand mural created by our Indigenous students. Whadjuk Ballardong Noongar brothers Jayden Boundry and Dylan Shillito, founders of Mirliny Aboriginal Cultural Education, led the assembly and shared their knowledge and culture through a powerful celebration of Noongar traditions. Jayden and Dylan worked with students from Scotch College to prepare the boys’ cultural dance performance, while Trysh Morrish worked with St Mary’s students to prepare the girls. The combined performance was a wonderful expression of culture, collaboration and connection. Students were also privileged to participate in a smoking ceremony, alongside music and dance performances that brought the assembly to life.

Art workshops

Junior School students created artworks inspired by their favourite Dreaming stories, while others helped establish a bush tucker garden on campus, learning about the deep connection between culture, Country and sustainability. Students also had the opportunity to participate in an art workshop with Indigenous artist Ilona McGuire, who will also be creating Indigenous artwork for our new Science, Enterprise, Technology and Innovation Centre.

Sand mural

Our Indigenous girls also led the creation of the striking sand mural, designed by Year 12 students Summer and Jalayah, that became a focal point of the week’s celebrations. Indigenous families joined their daughters on campus, with many travelling from regional Western Australia to share in cooking, cultural activities and community celebrations, strengthening the important connections between school, family and culture.

Student performance

Another special moment came during the Senior School assembly when Year 7 student Jakarnah performed her powerful poem, That’s Why We’re Deadly. Jakarnah recently debuted the poem at the MADALAH Student Showcase, an annual event celebrating the culture, talents and educational achievements of First Nations students across Western Australia. Her moving performance was a proud reflection of the confidence, creativity and leadership displayed by our Indigenous students throughout our NAIDOC celebrations.

It was a family affair for Jakarnah this week with her mum Tsheena Cooper, author and illustrator of picture book ‘Country tells us when…’, leading a workshop with our Year 12 General English students.

We thank our students for generously sharing their personal stories, perspectives and knowledge, and acknowledge the staff, families and cultural educators who helped make this week’s celebrations so meaningful. We are proud to celebrate alongside them and honour the enduring strength, leadership and contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.