What to Read This National Reconciliation Week
Caring for Country means walking together, listening deeply, and learning from the stories of this land.
National Reconciliation Week (27 May - 3 June) reminds us that we all have a role to play in our day-to-day lives when it comes to reconciliation — it is “a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia” (Reconciliation Australia, 2025).
We’ve come up with some places to start — from resources, to First Nations poetry, here's a collection of pieces to read this Reconciliation Week and beyond.
What to read
For National Reconciliation Week resources, events, and more information about the 2025 theme, be sure to take a look at the Reconciliation Australia website. You can also find a number of curriculum aligned lessons for all ages here.
This week, we're also revisiting a number of our poetic learning resources designed to enrich learning outcomes across sustainability, First Nations cultures & histories, English & Science.
The Baraya Barray learning resource, produced by Red Room Poetry’s Luke Patterson and Nicole Smede, is a great place to start. In this resource, poetic activities will connect students to sea Country and her songs.
Also be sure to download our new Poem Forest learning resource, where you can find activities inspired by Connecting with Country from p.13.
Poems from First Nations poets
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Mother
By Kirli SaundersMother,
I’ve spent hours now
searching for myself
in the symmetry of your skin -
Takayna; Milaythina Ningi
By Theresa SaintyTAKAYNA; MILAYTHINA NINGI
(Takayna; Mother Country)
Nara Takayna; ngini paywuta
Wurangkili mulapana-nara nuritinga tunapri -
Blood Moon
By Lyndsay UrquhartDharawal interpretations provided by Aunty Jodi Edwards
Lonely bones sat on sandstone thrones
Ankles deep in orchids red -
With Change
By Aurora Liddle-ChristieThe land is crying for us to care
care that blood waters its soil more than rain
The seasons have shifted, but humanity stays the same
-
O Australia
By Jeanine LeaneO Australia I want to follow the transit of Venus/ sail around the corner of the world/ discover your terra incognito/ catch the first fleet/ get a ticket of leave/ take up land/ cross your great divide/ unlock your pastures/ dive into your jewelled sea/ Australia I want to chart an inland river that leads to your opal heart/ be a part of your Aus… -
Gnatanwarr Gunditjmara Mirring
By Isabella Eichler-OnusI Welcome You //
sweet eucalyptus karrang and salty breeze
swampy pastures and sandy shores -
Walgajunmanha All Time
By Charmaine Papertalk GreenWe write about our existence pre-invasion / and that has made us visible
We write about our existence during invasion / and that keeps us visible
Walgajunmanha -
Bigger Than School Stuff
By Declan Furber GillickTyrone, all our families used to speak
that language here
And then slowly people stopped
They lost it.
What is National Reconciliation Week?
Each year, National Reconciliation Week is held from 27 May to 3 June, two dates that commemorate significant milestones in the reconciliation journey — the 1967 referendum, and the High Court Mabo decision respectively.
This year, the National Reconciliation Week theme is “Bridging Now to Next,” reflecting on the ongoing connection between past, present and future.
“Bridging Now to Next calls on all Australians to step forward together, to look ahead and continue the push forward as past lessons guide us,” writes Reconciliation Australia.
