Bardia Public School
Dharawal Country
Strengthening community through art Bardia Public School on Dharawal Country has been on a journey over the last couple of years to create an Aboriginal artwork that connects the school and the community. The result was a truly collaborative effort. Aboriginal Education Lead and Special Education teacher, Rachel Dutton at Bardia Public School, stepped us through the incredible process.
Q
How did the idea to create a digital artwork representing Bardia come about?
digital artwork and email signature stems from our collaboration with our Deadly Buraay (‘buraay’ is A The the Dharawal word for ‘child’) students and their kin and mob. Over the last eighteen months, our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community have yarned, shared a vision and created a mural that tells a story of Bardia Public School connection to the Dharawal bushland, the Georges River and the rising sun. The digital artwork takes the story of our mural and uses the same symbolism to represent our wider community in our school colours of yellow and blue.
Q
Who made the artwork?
Deadly Buraay students, their families, wider kin and mob and staff on our Aboriginal education A Our committee met with Michael Fardon, a local Dharawal Aboriginal artist, to yarn about symbols and what aspects of our surrounding bushland and river systems connected us. We learnt what animal was the totem to the Dharawal land surrounding our school and shared why it was important to recognise the rising sun as a nod to our military history and our current school emblem. This was shared with our local AECG and further endorsement sought to allow us to digitally create a new optional uniform shirt design.
Community consult - mural and Yarn Aug 2023
End 2022 process began
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Deadly Buraay student group Nov 2023
Yarn and Tucker Dec 2023
Term 4 2023 every Wed for 6 weeks - painting the mural with our Deadly Buraay students
Yarn and Tucker Feb 2024
Proposed unveiling April/ May 2024
AECG - request for endorsement March 2024