Evelyn Scott School, Canberra’s first school named after an Aboriginal woman, is “a living practical symbol of true reconciliation,” the late activist’s daughter Charmaene said at the official naming ceremony today.
Nearly 700 children have attended the Denman Prospect school’s junior campus since the start of last year, but the pandemic delayed the naming until now. From next year, the high school will accommodate 600 more Year 7 to 10 students.
Dr Evelyn Scott AO (1935–2017) advocated for reconciliation and the advancement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for more than 30 years, education minister Yvette Berry said.
Dr Scott campaigned in the 1967 referendum to include First Nations people in the Constitution. She was vice-president of the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders in the 1970s, and in the 1990s chaired both the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation for Women and the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation, during which time 250,000 people marched across Sydney Harbour Bridge to demonstrate for an official government apology. She also campaigned to protect the Great Barrier Reef. When she died five years ago, she became the first Aboriginal woman to have a state funeral.
“It is so important that we as a community recognise Dr Evelyn Scott’s contribution towards reconciliation, and cherish what she has achieved as a social activist, as well as an Indigenous woman for this nation,” Ms Berry said.
Although Dr Scott came from north Queensland, she had a lifelong connection to Canberra’s Ngunnawal people, her daughter said.
“It was here in the ACT that she started her life as a campaigner for social justice, rights for Indigenous people, and reconciliation.”
Principal Jackie Vaughan said it was an honour to lead the first school in Canberra named after such an accomplished Aboriginal woman.
“Fortunately, we’re now living through a period of time where we’re beginning to acknowledge our history and heritage and understanding the truth.”
The ACT Government invested $70 million in the school. The junior site, which opened last year, accommodates 88 pre-school and 600 primary school students. From next year, the high school will accommodate 600 more Year 7 to 10 students.
It is the second zero-emissions school in the ACT, and was a finalist in the 2022 Master Builders Association awards in the sustainable commercial project category.
Ngunnawal artist Lynnice Church designed a plaque and mural depicting the journey of the bogong moth across Ngunnawal country in a time of abundance.
Dr Scott’s family (who came down from Queensland for the occasion) and Ms Berry unveiled the plaque.
“No words can express how incredibly significant, symbolic, and emotional this moment is for us all,” Charmaene Scott said. “Today is special indeed.”
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