ATSI News

Recently, a number of our ATSI students had the opportunity to take part in a traditional didgeridoo-making workshop, representing the school with pride and enthusiasm throughout the day.

The workshop was conducted by Warren Kelly from the NSW Local Land Service and Bob Blair from the Armidale Cultural Centre and Keeping Place, with support from Matt and Paicey. During the session, students worked with locally sourced didgeridoo blanks, carefully stripping the bark by hand before sanding, filing and chiselling the timber into beautifully crafted and playable instruments.

The process was highly labour intensive, with the boys spending several hours working hard simply to remove the bark. Their focus, persistence and willingness to learn were incredibly impressive. The final step of the first stage involved adding and shaping beeswax to create a sealable mouthpiece for each didgeridoo..

By the end of the day, each student had produced a playable didgeridoo that they will continue to develop at school over time. The boys will personalise their instruments by adding designs through burning and painting to tell their own stories and express their cultural identity. They will also continue learning to play the didgeridoo alongside Paicey and volunteers from the local Aboriginal community.

It was fantastic to see the students so engaged, focused and dedicated throughout the workshop — and most importantly, proud and strong in their culture.