Art on Country

On Thursday 20 June, our day and boarder boys who are Aboriginal or from the Torres Strait and Papua New Guinea, spent a productive, engaging and chilly (top of 5 degrees!) day in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney. We were hosted by Uncle Chris Tobin, a local Dharug man who is both an educator and an artist. Chris holds a deep connection with his land and takes groups into the bush to learn about his country and participate in art-based learning. He is also a wonderful story teller who shares his cultural knowledge through his stories. If you are interested to get a feel for the day, here is a link to one of his stories. https://bit.ly/2I18015

During our time with Chris, as well as discovering his local country,  we learnt about native bush food and medicine, including bush soap and toothpaste! We also heard stories about using traditional hunting tools. A highlight of the day was being taught how to make traditional paint using ochre and creating handprints on tree trunks. As you can see from the photos, this was a magical day, where our boys were provided with opportunities to enjoy traditional experiences as well as spend valuable time to bond as a group.

Many thanks to Mr Devin, our bus driver for the day, who drove a 300km roundtrip, all with a friendly smile on his face!

Cate Fryda – Director of Inclusion

The trip to the Blue Mountains was enjoyable, I’d learned a great deal of different perspectives about this historical area. I learned how there used to be a mine where many people worked 10 hour days with coal. I also found out that there was a massive train track which had been installed in the 1800.

 It felt good to talk to an elder about their culture and land, and how the white people changed everything for the aboriginal people, for example the stolen generation, rents and accommodation. The guy’s family they were respected by the white people, and had made a deal with them about having their own land and home.

Ramiyah Tamu – Hodges House