Tenison Woods College Year 12 leavers spark backlash over racist Coon Cheese costume

Students from an elite South East private school have sparked backlash from a prominent Indigenous activist after donning Coon cheese costumes for their muck-up day.

A group of students from a South East private school have come under fire for being “tone deaf” by a prominent Indigenous activist after dressing up as Coon cheese for end-of-year celebrations.

The year 12 Tenison Woods College students were captured donned in yellow shirts with Coon branding on a Facebook post by Mount Gambier’s Noel Barr Toyota, a car dealership they were attending as part of a muck-up day treasure hunt.

The school shared the car dealership’s post to its own Facebook page, with the caption “some great photos from our year 12 graduates earlier this week”.

Year 12 students from elite South East private school Tenison Woods College dressed up as Coon Cheese for school muck up day celebrations sparking outrage. Picture: Supplied

After a 20-year campaign, Indigenous activist Dr Stephen Hagan was able to successfully lobby multinational conglomerate Saputo to change the name of Coon cheese to Cheer cheese.

Dr Hagan said he was appalled the students could “be so tone-deaf — thinking this inappropriate dress-up is acceptable in 2022”.

“There is no ambiguity about the act of dressing up as Coon cheese,” he told the Advertiser.

“It is racist and that white privilege position belongs in a bygone era.

“There needs to be consequences for these six white privileged boys who proudly posed for the photo.”

Year 12 students from elite South East private school Tenison Woods College dressed up as Coon cheese for their school’s muck up day, sparking outrage. Picture: Supplied

Dr Hagan also took aim at the parents of the boys for allowing them to don the offensive costume and at the school for condoning their actions by posting the photos on their social media.

“I’m appalled at the school in posting it, actually condoned their behaviour,” he said.

Dr Hagan slammed those who said Indigenous people were being overly sensitive.

“It’s not a matter of being overly sensitive and that I should ‘get over it’ or ‘it’s just a bit of fun’ rhetoric. Try being on the receiving end of 132,000 vile comments on a popular Facebook site,” he said.

“I’ve got a hearing before the Australian Human Rights Commission in coming weeks against the Daily Mail, Channel 9 Today Show and Pauline Hanson One Nation Party.

“The Daily Mail thought it was okay to write a fake news story about me wanting to change Smarter White Milk after my success in changing Coon Cheese to Cheer Cheese.”

Dr Stephen Hagan successfully campaigned to have to have Coon Cheese renamed to a less racist term. Picture: Lenn Campbell

Tenison Woods College principal David Mezinec said he was “surprised by the students’ choice of costumes” but said the college was not involved in any muck-up day celebrations.

Mr Mezinec said on their last day students arrive and leave in full school uniform.

“We do not sanction any muck-up day,” he said.

“I understand that the students organised themselves a treasure hunt in collaboration and pre-planned with local businesses, and these photos were taken at Noel Barr Toyota as the students called in to collect their clue.”

Principal Mezinec said the shared post was “an error of inexperience on the part of a public relations and event team member of the college” and had since been removed from the school’s Facebook page.

Noel Barr Toyota have since removed the offensive photo from its Facebook post and were contact for comment by The Messenger.