THERE were many proud moments at Mindaribba Local Aboriginal Land Council Preschool on Friday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The centre farewelled its graduating class of 2018, some of whom had been there since they were three years old.
Parents and family members were delighted to see their children ready for big school, teachers were amazed at how much they had learned, and the graduates themselves were proud of their culture.
The children started preparing about an hour before the presentation and there was no denying the buzz in the air.
The ceremony started with a welcome to country from Aunty Belinda Reed, followed by dancing and a presentation of certificates and presents.
Mindaribba Local Aboriginal Land Council CEO Tara Dever said the preschool opened just over 20 years ago to create opportunity for Indigenous children.
“We started this preschool because our children couldn’t get access to mainstream preschools and day cares,” she said.
“When we started we did lots more cultural things – we made sure we danced and the kids got painted up and knew about their culture for graduation. Over time that changed and we sort of melded into mainstream [traditions], but this year we thought ‘we’re going back to our roots’.”
Of all the things they learned at Mindaribba, Ms Dever said she hoped the children would remember to be proud of who they were.
“The preschool started so our kids had that same step up into big school as everybody else,” she said.
“But now it’s to go into that institution being proud of their identity and their culture and then teaching that to other people about our heritage.”