A ceremony was held to raise the Australian National, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags at Catholic Education SA's Thebarton offices on Wednesday. Flagpoles were installed, partly funded through a grant from the Department of Veterans Affairs Saluting their Service Commemorative Program. Missing from commemorations on-site, until Wednesday, were flagpoles for the purpose of flying these flags on the traditional land of the Kaurna people of the Adelaide Plains.
The Commissioning ceremony was held on Wednesday 1 June and welcomed CESA staff, ‘Elder statesmen’ and dear friends of CESA; Bill Corey and Uncle Lewis O’Brien, students from St Joseph’s School - Hindmarsh, Fr Michael Trainor and the Hon Kate Ellis.
Concurrent to this project, are plans to establish a native garden in front of the Conference Centre adjacent, which will entail the transplantation of the existing roses, some of which were planted and marked with plaques to honour the service of six colleagues who passed away during their careers with the Office.
Following consultation with a representative group of friends and relatives, with the respective project coordinators and with members of the Leadership Team, it was agreed that the plaques would be restored - and that they would be brought together in this special place of commemoration and reflection - along with some of their roses which will be transplanted to this garden later this winter.
A photographic record has been made of the rose garden as it was previously so that that history is not lost and that other roses can be identified at their new site. Blooms from these roses formed part of the Blessing Ceremony.
Intergenerational playgroups are truly something special — an experience that enriches the lives of both the young and the older members of our community. These playgroups are more than just a space for children to play; they are a vital platform for different generations to come together, share wisdom, and build meaningful relationships.
