Around the College
Aboriginal Community Project:
Mural Cleansing Ceremony
On Tuesday 21 February the entire student body witnessed a Cleansing Ceremony here at Endeavour College before the Aboriginal Community Project commences. This ceremony involved burning various native plants to produce smoke, which has cleansing properties to cleanse the past (the external wall where the mural will be painted) for a better future (the Art and space itself). The cleansing ceremony was led by Jack Kanya Buckskin from Kuma Kaaru, a proud Kaurna and Narungga man who has dedicated his life to learning and passing on his knowledge and language of the Adelaide Plains to future generations of Kaurna people.
During the ceremony, the artists, Shane Mankitya Cook and Tom Readett were introduced to the school community.
Shane is an award-winning artist also known as Kooka. He is a Wulli Wulli and Guwa (Koa) descendant from Queensland. He has been adopted by the Kaurna community in Adelaide with Jack Buckskin as his mentor. Shane's style as an artist is contemporary, combining the practices of traditional indigenous painting with his love of graffiti culture and street art.
Tom Readett, who unfortunately couldn't be in attendance, is an established artist and Ngarrindjeri man. He was born and raised right here on Kaurna Country. Tom was trained at the Adelaide Central School of Art, melding street art style with classical training to produce work that is technical and conceptual.
Together, Shane and Tom have joined forces to create a meaningful mural for the 25th-anniversary celebration of the Endeavour College Community.
The mural concept was formed in consultation with Aboriginal students, parents, old scholars and past council members within our community. The Black Swan, Kudlyu (pronounced Good-Lu), is the main feature, with a starry sky background that contains three prominent constellations that each tell important Aboriginal stories.
We further developed the concept with students from St Paul Lutheran Primary School, who have contributed drawings of baby swans, cygnets, representing future students.
The name Kudlyu will be written on the work in prominent lettering, using the writing style of one of our founding students Melissa Reid.
The Endeavour Way colours will be reflected in the water upon where the black swan swims almost like a sunrise.
In the coming weeks, expect to see Shane and Tom on-site with a great, big scissor lift, painting with aerosols and rollers.
How exciting!
Andrew Harten
Visual Art and Design Learning Leader
Middle Years Play Space:
We have a name!
We are pleased to announce that our well-used and much-loved play space now has a name. Drum roll...Kudlyu (pronounced Good-Lu)!
It makes such perfect sense to name the space after the Kaurna totem for this area, the black swan, which will keep a watchful eye over the space from the nearby mural.
Louisa Mulligan
Director of Middle Years