Honouring 50 Years of NAIDOC Week at BiS

This week marks an important moment of reflection at BIS as we return from school holidays and join in celebrating the 50th anniversary of NAIDOC Week. While the national week ran from 6–13 July, we are continuing the spirit of recognition, learning, and solidarity throughout this week on campus.

To mark the occasion, our BIS senior students are leading a heartfelt acknowledgment, shared via social media beneath the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags flying proudly on the BIS flagpole. Their message recognises five powerful milestones in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history:

87 years

…since the first Day of Mourning — a protest held on the 26th of January 1938 and  is now recognised as a foundational moment in the long struggle for justice, rights and recognition for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It laid the groundwork for future movements, including NAIDOC

58 years 

…since the 1967 Referendum, when over 90% of Australians voted to amend the Constitution to count Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the census and allow the Federal Government to make laws for them. This was a major milestone in the struggle for Indigenous rights and recognition, symbolising a shift toward greater equality and inclusion.

57 years 

…since the establishment of Brisbane Independent School and the BIS Indigenous Scholarship. Founded in 1968, BIS was progressive from its very beginning — built on land generously gifted by Geoffrey and Eena Job, on the condition that Indigenous children would be supported through a full tuition-covering scholarship. This visionary inclusion made BIS one of the first schools in Australia to formally recognise and support the educational rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. The BIS Indigenous Scholarship was a pioneering initiative for its time and remains central to our commitment to educational equity and cultural respect today.

50 years 

…since the very first NAIDOC Week, which began as a week of protest and has grown into a national celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, history, and achievements. This year marks 50 years of NAIDOC Week, a time to honour the strength, resilience, and enduring legacy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The 2025 theme “The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy”.  It honours the strength of our young Indigenous leaders and the vision of their communities. It respects the legacy passed down by Elders and ancestors. 

65,000 years

Most importantly, over 65,000 years of continuous culture, knowledge, and custodianship of this land. Aboriginal people have lived in the northern parts of Australia for at least 65,000 years, which is longer than modern human settlements in Europe and the Americas. Recent discoveries in Arnhem Land (Northern Territory), including ancient ochre and stone tools, offer compelling evidence of one of the oldest living cultures on Earth. These findings affirm the deep, enduring connection of Aboriginal peoples to Country; spiritually, culturally and physically.

Learning Through Storytelling

This year’s NAIDOC Week theme, “The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy,” resonates deeply at BIS. To bring this theme to life, our BIS Seniors (the  graduating Year 6 students) are curating daily sessions in the school library this week featuring Queensland Dreaming Stories.

These stories, brought to life through the magic of animation and drawn by Indigenous artists, are narrated by Indigenous Storytellers and Elders from the Country each story originates from – from Erub Island in the Torres Strait to the Bundjalung people of the Gold Coast. The videos are part of the Dreaming Series – a nationally recognised collection of animated stories for children created by Aboriginal Nations Production and produced in association with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, NSW Film and Television Office and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (To explore or purchase this resource, visit The Dreaming Stories).

Each story is followed by an interview video, filmed on Country, where the storyteller shares insights into their culture, connection to land and the significance of their stories. This immersive experience helps students build understanding and appreciation of First Nations cultures through the power of storytelling – directly from Indigenous voice and perspective.

At BIS, NAIDOC Week is more than a celebration, it’s a reaffirmation of who we are and who we stand with. We honour the resilience and richness of the world’s oldest living cultures and we look forward to learning from and supporting the generations to come.