Adam Goodes receives special honour from Point Cook school
Australian of the Year and dual Brownlow medallist Adam Goodes is one of four indigenous athletes who have received a special honour from a Point Cook school.
Education
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Australian of the Year and dual Brownlow medallist Adam Goodes has been honoured with the naming of a house at one of Victoria’s newest schools.
Saltwater P-9 College, in Point Cook, has embraced indigenous athletes in Sydney Swans’ player Goodes, sprinter Cathy Freeman, hurdler Kyle Vander-Kuyp and tennis player Evonne Goolagong Cawley with house names.
The houses will be unveiled at a February 28 assembly with their first outing at a March 4 athletics carnival.
It comes as established schools are rethinking house names which are considered outdated or not reflective of the school’s current make up.
In the last three years of his playing career, Goodes was the centre of heated debate and commentary after he called out racism.
Goodes experience heavy booing following an on-field war dance celebration and another incident where he pointed out a young girl who called him an “ape”.
Two documentaries, the Australian Dream and The Final Quarter, have examined the end of his career and many people have reflected on how reactions to Goodes spiralled out of control.
In correspondence to families, Saltwater P-9 said the house system sought to promote “a sense of belonging and pride in our students in addition to connectedness as a whole school”.
House points will be collected via organised competitions and activities, including sporting and academic challenges.
Freeman, who has been honoured at a number of schools including Albert Park College, will be teal house Goodes red, Goolagong gold and Vander-Kuyp orange.
While the announcement was welcomed by most, one person thought the choices were not relevant and local to the school.
A lengthy reply on the Facebook page said the houses promoted respect, encouraged collaboration, empathy and compassion.
“Mr Adam Goodes is a Brownlow medallist which is awarded on merit for best and fairest play out of thousands of elite athletes in the AFL. He was the captain of the Sydney Swans and upon retirement was awarded Australian of the Year. He is known for his community work and anti-racism advocacy,” the school said.
It went on to provide descriptions of the achievements of the other athletes.
The school said the four were role models who achieved incredible accolades throughout their lives and careers while battle racism.
“At Saltwater we inspire even our youngest students to consider critical global issues and enact change,” the school said.
“Aboriginal history has been, in the past, painfully misrepresented or simply not taught at all. Naming these four houses after these four fantastic athletes and civic leaders is an opportunity to bring parts of modern Aboriginal AND Australian history together as we all move towards Reconciliation as a local community and as a nation.
“What stands clear and will always remain as an irrefutable fact, beyond debate, is the incredible sporting and humanitarian achievements that these proud Australian citizens have accomplished.”
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The school did not reply to the Herald Sun but the Go Foundation, which Goodes runs with Michael O’Loughlin said Goodes, who is overseas, would be delighted.
In recent weeks Northcote High School has dumped Melbourne founding father John Batman in favour of indigenous activist William Cooper.
Prahran High School, which also opened last year, is working on developing a house system in consultation with the community.
Doherty’s Creek P-9 College, in Truganina, has an all female indigenous sporting line up in Nova Peris, Cathy Freeman, Evonne Goolagong and Samantha Riley.