Year 5 and Creative Collaborations with Uncle Jimmy Smith

Last Wednesday we were incredibly fortunate to have a visit from local Aboriginal elder Uncle Jimmy Smith.

Our Year 5 students had been learning about cartography, and this was greatly enriched through Uncle Jimmy sharing his knowledge about Pre European cartography of the local area. He spoke with the girls, drew a map for them, and then encouraged them to draw their own maps, including Indigenous place names. He then embedded ideas of connection to country by encouraging them to add animals and plants that inhabit the area.

They worked in teams, alongside a group of Aboriginal Studies students from the Senior School, and the level of energy, knowledge and engagement was exhilarating! It is so wonderful to see our amazing students eager to take on new learning and respond intellectually and creatively. This work will form the basis of a new collaborative artwork to be unveiled in Junior School….so watch this space!

– Marian Doull
Junior School Visual Arts Teacher

Please note that permission for photographs was given by Uncle Jimmy.