Always was, always will be

Acknowledgement of Country in Mandarin by Wang Laoshi

Indigenous Bushfoods and Music

Last term, we went to Blackburn Lake Sanctuary for an excursion.

Uncle Shane started off with a smoking ceremony to cleanse us from bad spirits as he walked around the circle.  We continued with a walk through the sanctuary and learnt a lot about the uses of the native plants and their call for action against polluting the river.

As we walked back we collected sticks to cook damper that Auntie Merm provided for us beforehand. 

We cooked the damper like marshmallows. It was delicious and we ate it with jam and butter, though there were many occasions when the damper fell down.

After, Uncle Shane tickled our spirits with a Yidaki massage which is how he played it near our spine, it was so calming, and then we sang Womenjeka one last time before returning back to school.

Khalissa and Anisha, AWAWB Team

Join the 'Alway was, Always will be' Team 

Everyone is welcome! We meet Thursday play 2 in the 6C's classroom with Ms Hui. We're working on a book and another project. See you there!

Book Recommendation: 

Sky Country by Aunty Patsy Cameron

Illustrated by Lisa Kennedy

An ancient story of creation that describes two Ancestral Beings who came down from the Milky Way to create the Trouwerner (Tasmanian) landscape.

Using some traditional language, this extraordinary children’s picture book, filled with stunning illustrations, retells a captivating Ancestral memory dating back to the Ice Age – a period of time when Trouwerner was joined to the Australian mainland. Join Aunty Patsy Cameron as she generously shares the creation story of Trouwerner Country and its people.

Woiwurrung Words of the Week

Wawa (hello)

Ngoon-godjin (thank you)

Twagannin (Bye)

Liwurruk (sister)

Bubup (baby/child)

Dhindhith (younger brother)

Liwurruk (younger sister)

Bangganj (older brother)

Lath-ganj (older sister)

Can you say hello, thank you and goodbye to your family members in Woiwurrung?

Thanks to the KESO team for sharing these Woiwurrung words and slides with us.

First Nation Events + Resources

(Our school is not affiliated with any of these)

Murnong First Peoples Gathering Place 

Dates for your Diary

• 30 November 11am-2:30pm Koorie Kristmas Market - gifts and more from First Nations artists, craftspeople, food vendors, and creators. RSVP
• 7 December 7:30pm Blak ‘n’ Blues 2 - blues music and poetry, a different sort of conversation between Fiona Boyes and Uncle Glenn. Booking link.
• 15th March 2025 Murnong Fundraising Trivia Night “They Didn’t Teach Us That at School” - save the date in your diary now!

Elders – iView (ABC) - One Plus One Elders Video Series 

Elders are the holders of knowledge, storylines, and songlines - bringing understanding of country and culture. Dan Bourchier travels across Australia to share the wisdom of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders.

Have suggestions for this page? Contact Emily Hui.