By Callum Ludwig
Wednesday 16 March marked the official opening of the bush tucker garden and yarning circle at Warburton Primary School.
Students gathered at the garden as First Nations Curator at the Tarrawarra Museum of Art Stacie Piper spoke to them about the importance of country and the local Wurundjeri people, teaching them bits of the traditional Woiwurrung language. Ms Piper herself is a proud Wurundjeri and Dja Dja Wurrung woman and conducted a smoking ceremony, which traditionally is to cleanse any bad energy.
The coordinator of the school’s sustainable garden program Kelly Frost said the students of the school had designed the garden and circle which has now come together.
“The students designed and then worked on the creation of the new bushtucker garden and yarning circle over the last couple of years,” she said.
“The original design is still up on the wall of our Harvest Cafe, and it is very similar to what was unveiled today.”
Students at the school will have the responsibility of maintaining the garden and identifying ways it needs to be improved or resewn, and will also research and identify new things to grow in the garden. The native bush foods will be used in the student’s weekly cooking sessions.
Ms Frost said the more First Nations culture is included in the curriculum and taught to kids at a young age, the more it will be familiar for kids moving forward.
“It is important for us to embed knowledge and understanding of our First Nations people into our everyday curriculum. All the way from our preppies,” she said.
“The better the student’s understanding, the more they will carry that understanding into their future.”
The plants in the garden will be labeled with both their English and traditional name, in an effort for both to be a part of students’ everyday dialogue.
The school is also hopeful of continuing to work with Ms Piper in the future. Plans are underway to teach students some First Nation’s traditional dances, in a continuing effort to improve kid’s understanding and knowledge of different aspects of their
Ms Frost said maintaining a garden provides a great opportunity for students to learn.
“They learn to become more responsible, but also to understand what it takes to just grow the food they eat. They have really great knowledge of the conditions plants require,” she said.
“It’s not even just things on the surface level as far as sun, water and soil, but they understand pollination and propagation. They even bring things to me, they’re constantly teaching me and I’m learning from them.”
