Walford Goes All In for National Reconciliation Week

National Reconciliation Week has been marked at Walford this year through learning, ceremony, creativity, sport and community, as students and staff reflected on what it means to be All In for Reconciliation.

 The 2026 National Reconciliation Week theme, All In, calls on all Australians to commit wholeheartedly to reconciliation every day. Reconciliation Australia describes the theme as a reminder that reconciliation is not a spectator sport, but a shared responsibility requiring action, courage and commitment. National Reconciliation Week is held from 27 May to 3 June each year, commemorating two significant milestones in Australia’s Reconciliation journey: the 1967 referendum and the High Court Mabo decision. 

For Walford, this year’s National Reconciliation Week has held particular significance. For the first time, Walford’s A teams wore Reconciliation Round sportswear as part of the IGSSA Reconciliation Round, featuring a new artwork titled Meiwi, meaning ‘Inner Strength’. 

The artwork was co-created by Ngarrindjeri and Kaurna artist Sam Gollan and Walford’s Reconciliation Action Plan Committee to represent the beautiful connections and complexities of the Walford community. Sam described the work as honouring young women as they “use their voices to be heard, to be seen and stand up together.” In the context of a girls’ school, this message is particularly powerful. It speaks to young women developing confidence, using their voices with purpose, and understanding that strength is found not only in the individual, but in standing together, as one in community.

The initiative was spearheaded and led by teacher and RAP Committee member Ms Abbie Thomas, whose commitment helped bring together sport, student voice, cultural learning and community partnership in a visible and meaningful way. By wearing Meiwi, their inner strength, Walford athletes carried a message of courage, connection and respect each time they stepped onto the field and court during Reconciliation Round.

At two Walford-hosted IGSSA fixtures, Uncle John Lochowiak, Kaurna Elder, conducted a Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony: Division 1 Soccer at Parks Playing Field and Senior 1 Netball at the Walford Sports Centre netball court. These moments invited students, staff, families and visitors to pause in acknowledgement of Kaurna Country, and to recognise the significance of Reconciliation not as an idea separate from School life, but as something lived through gathering, listening, learning and relationship.

The artwork was also featured on ribbons worn by students during the week. These ribbons, generously donated by the Walford Parent-Teacher Association along with the sportswear, were sold for $5, with proceeds supporting the Indigenous Literacy Foundation. Staff lanyards featuring Meiwi were also created, extending the artwork’s presence across campus and reinforcing the shared nature of the School’s commitment to reconciliation.

Walford’s National Reconciliation Week celebrations also included a special assembly on 25 May, featuring Indigenous poet Steven Pappin and Indigenous musician Vonda Last. Through poetry and music, students were invited into reflection, storytelling and connection, deepening their understanding of culture, voice and truth-telling. 

In the ELC, it was wonderful to welcome Indigenous storyteller Trent Hill. The children were captivated as they explored Aboriginal culture and storytelling with Trent through music, symbols, drawings, carvings and spoken word. A particular highlight was Trent playing the didgeridoo and inviting the children to guess which animals the sounds represented, as well as Trent demonstrating how fire can be made from sticks.

Members of Walford’s RAP Committee also attended the Reconciliation SA National Reconciliation Week Breakfast, held at the Adelaide Convention Centre.

Meiwi, which now hangs proudly at the entrance to Walford’s Front Office, is more than a design on sportswear, ribbons and lanyards. It is a symbol of the ongoing work of Reconciliation at Walford. It reflects the contribution of many hands: students, staff, parents, the RAP Committee, the PTA, and Aboriginal voices and leadership. It also reflects Walford’s values of Courage, Commitment, Community and Growth, and the School motto, Virtute et Veritate, as we strive to live with moral courage and truth. 

As Walford continues its Reconciliation journey, this National Reconciliation Week has provided a meaningful reminder that progress is made through action, relationship and commitment. To be All In is to recognise that Reconciliation belongs to all of us, and that each person has a part to play in building a more just, respectful and truthful future.