LRC News

Sean Choolburra’s Visit During Harmony Week

We celebrated Harmony Week on Tuesday 22nd March with spectacular Indigenous performances in the Melaleuca Theatre. Our invited guest, Sean Choolburra, a much acclaimed artist, was able to make his cultural show relevant and meaningful to students by being highly interactive. Sean enlisted students to dance, clap and perform along with him on stage. Through dance, story, fire creation and didgeridoo playing, and a stunning array of artefacts, Sean wove his magic. He generously immersed Year 7 and 10 students in the richness of his Indigenous culture that they had been learning about in their Humanities classes. His message of our common humanity and that we are more the same than different made a lasting impression. Sean inspired us to love Australia and to be kind to one another no matter where we come from. 

Krish, Abhi and Shanjay, some of our wonderful TLAs, summarised the show by saying: 

Sean Choolburra performs traditional dances and thoroughly explains the story behind them with comedy sprinkled through the performance.  

They also collected some feedback from their peers:

It was a once-in-a lifetime opportunity to play in beat with a famous aboriginal comedian/performer. I will never forget the moment when he scared all of us by screaming loudly at the end. We were so shocked that we nearly jumped out of our skin.

-Thanesha

He was an inspiration for me. I will now play a lot more cricket than I usually do.

-Bhavesh

Sean visiting our school was definitely an experience to dream about. I got to learn so many new things and how many dances there really are in the Indigenous community! 

I especially loved the part when he explained the story of the best warrior who got turned into a bird. To get called up to the stage to play one of the 7 sisters was so much fun! (Embarrassing, but definitely fun!) I would love to have him or another person come back to our high school!

-Elma

2022 World Poetry Day

The most uplifting event in the Library this term was World Poetry Day. This is an event celebrated all around the world. What better way to share the spirit of peace and harmony and to remind us of our common humanity than with the most beautiful poetry reading session in the Library? Over twenty poets courageously shared their poems to a delighted audience. Our hosts Rabiha, Heather and Fahma were amazing as was Mustafa who read the Acknowledgement to Country. Thank you to Mr Collins and Ms Maree who shared their own original poems. Thank you to Ms Wilson for being a great supporter of this event, attending each year. To Shabnam, a huge thank you for the amazing photos. And of course my biggest thanks to all of the the TLAs and Library Staff who have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make this event and the Library such a success this term! 

The following poem by Kamya is one example of the many relatable poems shared by staff and students.

Dear Life,

Sometimes I feel that you’re so hard,

Or that we have grown apart.

Every day you bring something new,

It got harder and harder as I grew.

I know, that you know, we have had our challenges,

And we have gone through some hard times

But every single time, we have come up with our own rhyme.

It got hard at some stages,

But we managed to get through all our ages.

You put me in uncomfortable situations,

And I tried to tackle them with some patience.

It was hard switching schools at the time

But now, I look back at it and feel divine.

I’ve understood that you are not always easy.

It’s like a road with no cars, but always busy.

We have to persevere to become better and better,

And so we will be a getter.

I thank you for all the challenges you set 

Even if sometimes I feel you’re a threat…

By Kamya

Gotta keep reading!

Remember to keep reading these holidays!

If you are looking for a great online read try our great range of eBooks and audiobooks. Remember our eBooks and audiobooks never sleep or go on holidays.  Links are below:

Our Wheelers eBooks and Audiobooks can be found at: https://dandenong.wheelers.co/

Comics Plus, our excellent Online Graphic Novel Services can be found at: https://dandenonghighschoolviche.librarypass.com/https://dandenonghighschoolvich.librarypass.com/

If you want reading recommendations, visit our website and discover some more fantastic reading links: https://libguides.dandenong-hs.vic.edu.au/c.php?g=806436&p=5753790  

Wishing you a safe and happy holiday!  See you soon in the Library!

Mrs Papazoglou

Library Manager