A Sydney school has reportedly backed down after its plan to rename sport houses after Indigenous icons like Cathy Freeman and Eddie Mabo was rejected by angry parents.
The sport houses at Appin Public School, located about 75km from the Sydney CBD, had been named after historical figures including former NSW Governor Lachlan Macquarie and Australian explorer William Hovell, according to one parent.
But the school attempted to change them to four famous Indigenous names – Freeman, Mabo, AFL great Adam Goodes and singer Jessica Mauboy – before scrapping the plan, radio station 2GB reported.
A concerned parent contacted the station to complain about the proposed switch, with host Ben Fordham reading their email on air.
‘I’m writing to you as a parent from the Appin School regarding a decision that’s caused significant concern among families,’ the email read.
‘Our local school has recently changed its long-standing sports house names Hume, Hovell, Macquarie and Tyson.
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.’
