Living Justice 

On Wednesday 26 May, 11 of our students  and 12 students from St Bede's College set off to Balnarring for an Indigenous Immersion. Balnarring is a part of the Boonwurrung land. Once we arrived we were greeted by Adam, who was our guide throughout the Immersion. 

We started our Immersion with a traditional smoking ceremony, in order to cleanse and welcome us to the land. During a traditional Boonwurrung smoking ceremony, three different plants are placed onto the fire. These are the silver wattle, cherry ballart and eucalyptus leaves.

Our first activity was weaving. Using raffia, we learnt the weaving technique used by Indigenous women to make baskets. Although it was not everyone’s strength, it was a lot of fun. Then, we got to eat our first lunch from the Cooee café, and were able to try many traditional foods of the Indigenous people.

After lunch, we went on a bush walk with an Indigenous man, Uncle Lionel. He taught us about medicinal and useful plants in the area, and allowed us to eat some of them. We then walked back to camp and participated in a group meditation. During this, Lionel played the 'yidaki' (didgeridoo).

We finished off the first day with a trip down to the beach to look at an archaeological dig site, where we were able to see the different points in time that Indigenous people had camped in the area.

On the second day of our Immersion we started with another traditional smoking ceremony. After going back inside to the communal room, we separated ourselves into two groups to participate in different cultural activities. 

The first was feather flower making, where we were able to make flowers out of feathers, wire and tape. These flowers were used by Indigenous communities during various occasions such as dances. The second activity was rope and bracelet making. During this, we used plant leaves to twist together and form a rope, adding beads to it if we wished.

We then received the unfortunate news that we would have to head home early due to the COVID-19 lockdown. However, we were still able to do some activities. 

After eating another lunch at the Cooee café, we had the opportunity to participate in spear throwing. We were taught how to throw the spear using a traditional spear or 'woomera'. After that, we were able to have a turn at using the spear ourselves. On our way home we made a quick detour in Mornington, where Adam took us down to the beach to show us a mural that he had created. It was a wall embedded with many items such as shells, coins, rope and rocks.

Throughout the duration of the Immersion all students were able to get to know each other, and form new friendships. Learning about and becoming  immersed in the culture allowed us all to become more connected with the land, the people and their traditions. The Immersion was a fantastic experience, and we definitely recommend it to anyone who is given the opportunity!

Michaela Meyer and 

Claudia Vannutini 

Year 10