Year 7s and 12s First Day

On Tuesday, the Year 7 and 12 students participated in a traditional Smoking Ceremony.

Mark Brown from the Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation addressed the students and explained the meaning of a Smoking Ceremony and how they are traditionally performed by Indigenous people for weddings, funerals and births, and its purpose is for healing and cleansing.

Mark also spoke of the traditional foliage used at a Smoking Ceremony. To start the 'fire', Kangaroo Grass, Sheoak or Tea Tree can be used and then to create the aroma and to signify healing and cleansing, a combination of the following is used:

𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗮 𝗚𝘂𝗺: a eucalyptus grown in the South-East of Australia. Its part in the ceremony was to represent, 'the smell of Bunurong'.

𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗕𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘁: a sacred plant that is hard to grow and requires the Manna Gum (parent) to grow. The Cherry Ballart was included in our ceremony as it represents babies, children and the future.

𝗦𝗶𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲: a very strong tree, usually the tree remaining after a bushfire and was used as it represents the strength of community.

The students were very engaged in the interesting meanings and stories Mark told.

After the Smoking Ceremony, the students enjoyed a BBQ lunch and icy-poles and got some great photos at the photo booth.

We hope the students' first day and last first day of secondary school was a memorable one!