The 2022 National NAIDOC Week theme is Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up! Photo: National NAIDOC Week.
The Murrumbidgee Local Health District’s (MHLD) Health Promotion Team, in collaboration with a local school and an Aboriginal Elder, has launched a project to help school children better understand the connection to Country in Aboriginal culture.
Developed in conjunction with Wiradjuri man Mark Saddler and piloted with Ungarie Central School, the Bush Tucker Garden Project is set to inspire schools to connect with their local Aboriginal Elders and start their own bush tucker gardens.
Ungarie Central School stage three students and teachers watched Mr Saddler’s Bush Tucker Garden video, engaged in a conversation with the Elder to understand how bush tucker worked and were able to ask questions.
Ungarie Central School principal Terrie Payne said the school was pleased to be selected as the pilot school for the Bush Tucker Project.
“It has been a privilege to be part of the development of this promotional package to be launched in NAIDOC week and we hope that other schools will be encouraged to access these resources,” she said.
“Our involvement in the Bush Tucker project has greatly enriched the cultural awareness of our school’s students and teachers.
“Thank you to Mark [Saddler] for his wonderful presentation and also to the MLHD Health Promotion Team for this fantastic opportunity.”
A proud Wiradjuri man, Mr Saddler said he was pleased to share his culture with future leaders.
“The young ones are our next generation of respectful people coming through that will help Wiradjuri and Australians to save a very old culture that’s a part of their culture, too,” he said.
MLHD health promotion coordinator Alex Walker said this year’s National NAIDOC theme of “Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up!” couldn’t be more fitting.
“In order to achieve health for all we need to enable the local Aboriginal voices to be heard so that the rich culture is passed on to the next generations,” she said.
“We can only achieve that by walking with our local Aboriginal people.”
During this NAIDOC week and into school term three all primary schools in the Murrumbidgee Local Health District will receive a Bush Tucker Garden Project resource pack.
The packs will include access to Mr Saddler’s video and classroom lesson plans to start discussions with their local Aboriginal Elders and hopefully encourage more bush tucker gardens in schools.
Schools will also receive the recording of Mark and Ungarie Central School’s conversation and the Health Promotion team will support them to “Get Up, Stand Up and Show Up” throughout school activities.
For further information about this project, contact the MLHD Health Promotion team at [email protected]
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