Parents Clash with School Over Decision to Rename Sports Houses After Indigenous Icons: ‘Unnecessary Division

In Sydney, a school’s initiative to rename its sports houses in honor of Indigenous figures such as Cathy Freeman and Eddie Mabo met with parental disapproval, prompting a reversal of the decision.

Appin Public School, situated approximately 75 kilometers from Sydney’s Central Business District, traditionally named these sports houses after notable historical personalities, including former New South Wales Governor Lachlan Macquarie and explorer William Hovell, as noted by a concerned parent.

The school’s proposal aimed to celebrate Indigenous heritage by naming the houses after prominent figures like Freeman, Mabo, AFL legend Adam Goodes, and singer Jessica Mauboy. However, following backlash, the plan was abandoned, according to reports from radio station 2GB.

An email from a parent expressed the widespread unease over the proposed changes, highlighting, “I am reaching out as a parent from Appin School regarding a decision that has stirred significant concern among the families.”

The email further outlined that the school had recently attempted to replace the historical sports house names Hume, Hovell, Macquarie, and Tyson with new ones, triggering the controversy.

Appin Public School (pictured) on Sydney’s south-west fringe has shelved plans to change the names of sport houses to honour Indigenous icons

AFL great Adam Goodes (pictured) was to feature in the name change to reflect his ‘leadership, pride and excellence’

Pictured: A still from a video the school posted on Facebook to announce the change before it was shelved due to a backlash from the community

‘They’ve been changed to new names including Eddie Mabo, Cathy Freeman, Adam Goodes and Jessica Mauboy.

‘The criteria for eligibility was “Indigenous who’ve made a significant difference”. 

‘This alone goes against inclusion and diversity by removing the eligibility of Caucasian athletes and personalities. 

‘It’s a typical education department woke decision.

‘My kids can’t remember the names of the new houses, let alone what the people are famous for.

‘This situation has caused unnecessary division.’

The school put up a video on Facebook to announce the changes on March 20, with students explaining the meaning behind the new names.

According to the footage, Green House was to be renamed Freeman to reflect the Olympic icon’s ‘strength, determination and greatness’.

According to the school’s video, one of the sporting houses was to be renamed ‘Freeman’ to reflect Cathy Freeman’s ‘strength, determination and greatness’

Another house was meant to be renamed after iconic Indigenous activist Eddie Mabo (pictured)

Yellow House becomes Mabo to reflect ‘justice, courage and change’, Blue House becomes Mauboy due to the singer’s ‘inspiration and brilliance’, and Red House switches to Goodes to show ‘leadership, pride and excellence’.

The school limited who could comment on the post.

According to 2GB, when the video was shared away from the school’s account, parents made comments including ‘this is disgusting’ and ‘so sad that the community was not consulted’.

Fordham also read out a message school principal Cheny Collins reportedly sent to students’ families.

‘Thank you to those in the community who’ve taken the time to share their feedback regarding the proposed house names,’ the message said.

‘In light of the feedback received, we see this as an important opportunity to pause and ensure the process is inclusive.

‘We will be taking this decision back to our students to reconsider, allowing space for further reflection and broader representation.’

The Daily Mail approached Appin School for comment and was referred to the NSW Department of Education.

‘The school is working through ideas for new house names with students and the community,’ a department spokesperson said.

‘Sporting house names are a local decision made in partnership with the school community.’