Primary celebrates Harmony Day with a colourful show of support for Lismore
There may be over 700 kilometres between Redfield College and Lismore, but Year 6 student Jacob R did everything he could to bridge that gap by supporting the community devastated by the recent floods. Inspired by his family friend, the Bishop of Lismore, Greg Homeming OCD, Jacob wanted to help the members of the Lismore community who have suffered so much over the past two years.
Jacob, a strong advocate of Catholic social justice teaching, shared a video that he found of Bishop Homeming on the Catholic Weekly website with our school community. He was motivated to help those less fortunate and decided that Redfield needed to celebrate the colourful community of Lismore with a Colour Mufti Day.
Jacob shared the message that the parish of Lismore had not specifically asked for anything like food or clothing, but informed his peers that Bishop Homeming needed to raise money “to get back everything that has been lost”. The floods have caused millions of dollars' worth of damage to the city and that is why Jacob wanted to hold a Colour Mufti Day fundraiser at Redfield.
Selecting Harmony Week as the time to come together, Jacob, with the help of the Primary Social Justice Group, visited classrooms and spoke at the Primary Assembly. The Social Justice Group informed the younger boys that Harmony Day is a time to celebrate Australia’s cultural diversity and promote inclusiveness, with their key message being that "everyone can help!" The boys set forward to raise much-needed funds for Lismore and educate their peers that we can all do something to help others.
The teachers are very proud of Jacob and his team for gently raising this issue with the Primary students and raising an impressive $924.75. The group, led by Jacob, said they wanted our school to get behind the struggling community during one of the biggest crises the boys have seen in their lifetime, and they now hope more members of the Redfield community can support the Bishop’s Lismore Flood Relief Appeal. If you would like more information about this appeal, please check out the article published in the Catholic Weekly via the link below. The link also includes bank details for those wanting to assist Bishop Homeming and his community.
https://www.catholicweekly.com.au/lismore-bishop-launches-flood-appeal-after-very-tragic-days/
Jason Hatcher, Deputy Head of Primary
24 March 2022
