CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
Betoota’s prestigious Joan Of Arc Ladies College have today put a big black tick next to this year’s NAIDOC obligations, with a rushed and awkward five minute speech at the start of their school assembly.
Local Murri girl, Justine Case (16) has been asked by three different levels of the high school’s hierarchal executive staffroom if she’d like to ‘get up and say a few words’.
Justine, whose parents sent her to this girl’s school with their own hard-earned black middle-class dollars, reluctantly says yes out of teenage insecurity.
“I think the grade coordinator thinks I’m here on a scholarship” she tells our reporters.
“I don’t know why they feel like I’m in a position to give back like this. This is five minutes of valuable time I could be spending on TikTok”
“What am I supposed to tell these people? Black people exist? The art teacher does an Acknowledgement of Country every assembly anyway…”
Justine sighs.
“Can’t they just get an adult to come in and do this. They pay thousands of dollars for these Christian motivational speakers… Why not hire some black motivational speakers”
“My cousin Kev can talk under wet cement. He’ll do it for 50 bucks and a ride back into town”
However, despite resenting the fact that she is now the face of the College’s strong commitment to Aboriginal reconciliation, Justine has still somehow been roped into giving a speech that she found out about thirty minutes ago.
She arrived early before assembly to find the Deputy Headmistress putting up some cheap plastic red, black and yellow trimmings behind the stage.
“Thanks for doing this Justine…” says Deputy White.
“If you’d like to, you know, do a dance or something, feel free”
“We can hook the music up through the PA system. Have you got anything on your phone you’d like to play?”
“Or if you have any instruments… In your locker maybe?”
“I dunno. Do whatever feels right!”
“Just be yourself!”
