Decolonising an emblem.
We collaborated with students and staff from Trinity Bay High School in Cairns to decolonise their 60-year-old school emblem.
Trinity Bay High School, established in 1960, is the largest high school in the Far North Queensland region and proudly has a student population that is 90% First Nations.
In collaboration with students and staff, we worked to reimagine and decolonise the school’s emblem—an identity mark that had remained largely unchanged for over 60 years.
The redesigned emblem is grounded in symbols proposed by students and teachers. It reflects the values and identity of the school community while honouring the deep connections to both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and Country. The new design is inclusive, respectful of the truth of our shared histories, and forward-facing.
A significant design decision was to respectfully reference a single element from the original emblem—the Endeavour ship. While the visual of the Endeavour is a painful symbol of colonisation and its lasting impacts, acknowledging this history is important. Rather than celebrate it, we chose to reinterpret it.
In the new emblem, a stylised ship’s sail has been included—not to glorify the past, but to acknowledge it. This sail serves as a reminder of the truths of our history, while the rest of the emblem speaks to resilience, culture, unity, and the future of the Trinity Bay High School community.
Made with meaning
With a significant change in the schools emblem it had to be made with meaning and represent the regions largest school.
