The success and achievements of Cessnock and Kurri Kurri’s Indigenous students was celebrated on Wednesday at the Korreil Wonnai AECG’s Kullaburra Awards.
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Named after the Awabakal word for 'shining', the Kullaburra Awards are now in their fifth year.
The Korreil Wonnai Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (AECG) holds the awards in affiliation with Cessnock Community of Great Public Schools, the Kurri Kurri Learning Community and St Philip’s Christian College.
More than 100 awards were presented in categories including completion of year 12, attendance, all-rounder, sport and leadership.
A special scholarship – the Kullaburra Marrung award – was presented to one student from each high school.
The recipients were Calla Fittler (Cessnock High), Emily Lloyd (Kurri Kurri High), Taneisha Rosser (Mount View) and Madeleine Hughes (St Philip’s), who are all outstanding leaders in their school communities.
The Marrung awards (which include a monetary scholarship, a trophy and a copy of Lesley Salem’s book on Aboriginal symbolism and language) were made possible thanks to a grant from Cessnock City Council’s Community Cultural Development Dollar for Dollar Grants Program.
Marrung means ‘good, excellent and valuable’ in Awabakal, and students had to meet strict criteria to be nominated for the award.
Commendable behaviour, participation in Indigenous events, high attendance, high attendance and punctuality and classroom performance were among the factors assessed.
Korreil Wonnai AECG president Sonia Sharpe said the judging was very close.
“It was a hard process to pick the recipients as there are so many students out there who deserve recognition,” she said.
The awards ceremony was attended by more than 300 people and included performances by Mount View High School year 12 student Tahliah Dicker (who sang the national anthem in Awabakal), the Stanford Merthyr Infants School boys’ dance group, and Cessnock West Public School dance group ‘Unteliko Killibinbin’.
See a snippet of their performances in the video below.
2017 KULLABURRA AWARDS
YEAR 12 COMPLETION
- Amber C – Cessnock High School
- Cody M – Cessnock High School
- Jacob C – Cessnock High School
- Kaitlyn A – Cessnock High School
- Kiarnah M – Cessnock High School
- Tarnaea R – Cessnock High School
- Teagen M – Cessnock High School
- Tonya-Lee L – Cessnock High School
- Charlotte S – Kurri Kurri High School
- Courtnie C – Kurri Kurri High School
- Darcie C – Kurri Kurri High School
- Emily L – Kurri Kurri High School
- Kaitlin A – Kurri Kurri High School
- Mollie H – Kurri Kurri High School
- Rachel S – Kurri Kurri High School
- Samuel H – Kurri Kurri High School
- Christopher N – Mount View High School
- Eliza C – Mount View High School
- Jade H – Mount View High School
- James H – Mount View High School
- Joseph S – Mount View High School
- Maiya A – Mount View High School
- Michael L – Mount View High School
- Owen F – Mount View High School
- Riley B – Mount View High School
- Tahlia B – Mount View High School
- Tahliah D – Mount View High School
ATTENDANCE AWARDS
- Alice L – Abermain Public School
- Jett J – Abermain Public School
- Kaitlin P-D – Abermain Public School
- Tyrone T – Abermain Public School
- Charlie W – Bellbird Public School
- Olivia G – Bellbird Public School
- Sam W – Bellbird Public School
- Charlinee-Ann C-K – Cessnock East Public School
- Krystal N-C Cessnock East Public School
- Kyeisha N-C Cessnock East Public School
- Kiarnah M – Cessnock High School
- Shaun C – Cessnock High School
- Jayde D – Cessnock Public School
- Liam H – Cessnock Public School
- Amara-Jade W – Cessnock West Public School
- Ella A – Cessnock West Public School
- Jaimee W – Cessnock West Public School
- Sophia D – Cessnock West Public School
- Xahra D – Cessnock West Public School
- Chelsea P – Kearsley Public School
- Charlotte E – Kitchener Public School
- Jack C – Kitchener Public School
- Dylan A – Kurri Kurri High School
- Yasmin M – Kurri Kurri High School
- Anastasia G – Kurri Kurri Public School
- Jonathan N – Kurri Kurri Public School
- Kalay G – Kurri Kurri Public School
- Leon H – Millfield Public School
- Aiden H – Mount View High School
- Aleah O – Mount View High School
- Kane F – Mount View High School
- Owen F – Mount View High School
- Bonnie-Maree H-B – Nulkaba Public School
- Riley S – Nulkaba Public School
- Amy-Sky C – Paxton Public School
- Flynn D – Pelaw Main Public School
- Patrick L – Pelaw Main Public School
- Xavier L-C – Stanford Merthyr Infants School
- Riley L – Weston Public School
ALL-ROUNDER AWARDS
- Justin H – Abermain Public School
- Natarlia-Jade L-T – Cessnock East Public School
- Jasmine K – Cessnock High School
- Joseph B – Cessnock High School
- Kyle G – Cessnock High School
- Mitchell J – Cessnock Public School
- Miah S-C – Cessnock West Public School
- Zachary K – Kearsley Public School
- Lila J H – Kitchener Public School
- Anja A – Kurri Kurri High School
- Ebony S – Kurri Kurri High School
- Emily L – Kurri Kurri High School
- Anastasia G – Kurri Kurri Public School
- Grace S – Kurri Kurri Public School
- Kyah O – Kurri Kurri Public School
- Maci-Kay H – Kurri Kurri Public School
- Chloe F – Millfield Public School
- Chloe G – Mount View High School
- Jacob B – Mount View High School
- Riley B – Mount View High School
- Ruth C – Nulkaba Public School
- Lillianah W – Paxton Public School
- Chloe S – Pelaw Main Public School
- Georja G – Weston Public School
SPORT AWARDS
- Kane V – Bellbird Public School
- Jackson G – Cessnock High School
- Jesse K – Cessnock High School
- Marli W – Cessnock Public School
- Jayden S-C – Cessnock West Public School
- Paige C – Kearsley Public School
- Dylan A – Kurri Kurri High School
- Jada B – Kurri Kurri High School
- Tyrell A – Kurri Kurri High School
- Daniel G – Kurri Kurri Public School
- Isabella W – Kurri Kurri Public School
- Nirikai D – Laguna Public School
- Aleah O – Mount View High School
- Eliza C – Mount View High School
- Jacinta W – Mount View High School
- Peter O – Nulkaba Public School
- Hayden V – Pelaw Main Public School
- Katareena D – Weston Public School
LEADERSHIP AWARDS
- Jorja L – Abermain Public School
- Emily F – Cessnock East Public School
- Sarah S – Cessnock High School
- Jayde D – Cessnock Public School
- Jaimee W – Cessnock West Public School
- Chevelle B – Kearsley Public School
- Bella S – Kitchener Public School
- Benjamin L – Kurri Kurri High School
- Darcie C – Kurri Kurri High School
- Jordan L – Kurri Kurri High School
- Jazmyn M – Kurri Kurri Public School
- Dakota K – Mount View High School
- Taneisha R – Mount View High School
- Noah F – Nulkaba Public School
- Amy-Sky C – Paxton Public School
- Brock A – Pelaw Main Public School
- Joel L – St Philip’s Christian College
- Madeleine H – St Philip’s Christian College
- Taj P – St Philip’s Christian College
- Thomas Mc – St Philip’s Christian College
- Kaylee R – Weston Public School
KULLABURRA MARRUNG AWARDS
- Calla F – Cessnock High School
- Emily L – Kurri Kurri High School
- Taneisha R – Mount View High School
- Madeleine H – St Philip’s Christian College
