Aboriginal Art Project for Bardwell Valley Golf Club

St Ursula’s started NAIDOC Week early with 95 students volunteering to contribute to painting a mural guided by Aboriginal artists in residence during week 10!

The completed artwork will be on display at the Bardwell Valley Golf Club tee off area. Aboriginal and non-Indigenous students worked together with Aunty Emma and Coral Fay Peel and Uncle Frank McLeod to create a mural of gigantic proportions – over 7 metres long! It features the eighteen holes of the golf course as meeting places just like Aboriginal traditional gathering circles. 

Also included is the flora and fauna of the Bardwell Valley, such as a magnificent kookaburra painted by Maya Robinson and a vibrant rainbow lorikeet by Leanne Trinh. The red-bellied black snakes, sulphur crested cockatoos, black cockatoos, goanna, ducks and kangaroo tracks jumping through bottle brush and waratah were a group effort that resulted in a mural that will make every golfer smile and hopefully give them good luck!

Karen Horder
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Student Support Teacher

Ex-student Jessie-Marie Rifkin took time out of her National Art School course to contribute.
“I enjoyed coming back for this project – I feel very connected to the Serviam spirit.” 

Melina Anagnostellis – Year 7
“It’s really good to bond with the Aboriginal people and their culture because they give a good example and I got to experience it rather than being told about it.”

Lilliana Haddad and Mary Rose Semrani – Year 7
“Overall, it was really enjoyable experience to be able to connect with Aboriginal culture and to learn about the way they use symbols to represent how they tell stories.”

Emily Le – Year 8
“I had a really great time participating in this artwork and I feel grateful to be able to help out.”

Emirea Shrestha – Year 8
“Overall it was an amazing experience and I’m so grateful to be part of this artwork.”