Ms JODIE HARRISON (Charlestown)— To mark NAIDOC week, Redhead Public School officially opened its new Yarning Circle and Awabakal Learning Space on Wednesday, 29 June. The yarning circle has been used First Nations peoples for centuries to learn from a collective group, build respectful relationships, and to preserve and pass on cultural knowledge.

It was my pleasure to go along as a special guest of the school, and see the culmination of several years of work by the students and community. I loved seeing the native plants and Australian animal mosaics that complete the area, which were made by students as part of the 2019 NAIDOC Week. There is a very special feel to the area the school community has created and I thank the school for including me in the opening ceremony.

My thanks to Principal Lisa Monaghan and inviting me, and to the entire school community for their incredible work in building a space which acknowledges and celebrates the wonderful First Nations people of the area.

A Community Recognition Notice is an opportunity for an MP to submit a short statement praising the work of an individual or group in the local community. If you have any ideas about people I can recognise with a Community Recognition Notice, please email and let me know!