Koorie Club News
Nation Wide News:
Recently, rock climbers who visited the Grampian National Park in Victoria have been threatened with $346,000 fines for breaching the state’s cultural heritage laws. It is important that the cultural heritage laws are enforced as the land is sacred and should be protected for the respect of the many people who lived on it prior.
A heartbreaking story, a young Aboriginal boy in Western Australia has been issued a Violent Restraining Order by police. The footage of this was leaked and has succumbed to being viral, the video portrays an officer from Mirrabooka Police in Northern Perth crouching next to the seven-year-old boy and reading him the requirements of the VRO while another officer stands over him with a torch. However, a VRO cannot legally be made to a child under 10 years of age. A spokesperson for the WA police informed people that they are required to serve court issued VROs under the direction of a court order. Shockingly, while being served the child was identified to be seven years old.
Australian Lawyers for Remote Aboriginal Rights Dan Kelly states that Santa Teresa has finally won its right to sue the Northern Territory government for providing substandard housing. Kelly claims that several residents lived in places without doors, air conditioning, overflowing sewerage, and even ‘uranium in their drinking water’. Hopefully, the government can begin to provide adequate housing for their people and support them in the correct way.
Sports News:
In Melbourne, people all over were out of their seats celebrating their winning horses in the Melbourne Cup. This year Shelley Reys, daughter of Frank Reys, was the first ever Aboriginal Jockey to win the Nation’s Greatest Race in 1973. He is also the only Jockey to have won from barrier 24 which is widely referred to as the hardest spot to win from!!This year is the 50th anniversary of his historic win and the Rey family travelled from around the country to reunite in Melbourne to reignite his story.
Schoolwide updates:
Our very own Koorie Club and Interact Club engaged in an Indigenous mural last week. Our guiding artist Simone Thompson a proud Wurundjeri/Yorta-Yorta Aboriginal Artist guided students through the process while teaching them about the land and its native animals. Students painted a vibrant landscape consisting of native Australian animals and plants. Simone helped us to draw inspiration from the land while using our surroundings. A huge thanks Simone for coming out to us and a big congratulations to all students involved as you did a wonderful job!
Soon, the Koorie Club will be painting a traditional mural with our Indigenous students which will stand with our other murals to come!
Didge ya know?
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are some of the world’s oldest astronomers. Mob were aware of the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn (The visible planets). Indigenous astronomy contains important information about the universe and its relationship to the Earth’s ecosystems and allows for navigation.When the people of Wiradjuri look up in the sky, they see their creation ancestor Baiame and Mulayndynang (the seven sisters). Baiame’s constellation is almost the same as its Greek counterpart Orion and the seven sisters are known today as The Pleiades. Fascinating stuff!!
From: https://www.vacca.org/
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Koorie Club Leaders.
Rachel Aden (Koorie Club Leader) – ADE0010@sthelena.vic.edu.au
Jamie Humphries (Koorie Club Leader) – HUM0004@sthelena.vic.edu.au
For any other support needed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples please visit: https://headspace.org.au/yarn-safe/