Last Monday, our indigenous garden was officially declared open by Mr Kerimofski. Josh Whiteland opened proceedings with a Welcome to Country and explanation of what this garden means culturally.
The project has been funded by a PALS Grant which allows all our indigenous students to celebrate and explore their culture through an awareness of bush tucker and the environment. Ang said
this project is a committment to reconciliation and respect for culture.
Ang Ramirez has led the project with the support of Eve from LAMP and Josh Whiteland. They have combined teaching students about indigenous plants and bush foods and medicines with cultural art. Students worked together to create the sculpture tree and each child designed his or her own family totem on a piece of wood to hang off the sculpture.
The end result was very effective with emu footprints leading up to a symbolic emu nest below the sculpture tree.
Students have planted indigenous bushtucker plants and on Monday they harvested plants which were then cooked up in the Kitchen Garden kitchen for a shared meal, after the official opening.
The menu was very interesting: Emu Egg Omelette with steamed Warragal Greens accompanying kangaroo kebabs with chocolate and emu-plum sauce. Dessert was chocolate-coated witchety grubs and lemon-myrtle cheesecake. Very yummy tucker! 🙂
Opening our Indigenous Garden on PhotoPeach
Written and posted by D. Veary; Photos by Ang Ramirez and D. Veary
Canteen