The cultural tours for Year 7 were run again in mid-March, allowing the students to spend some time with the Yaegl Elders who showed them some of the unique features of Yaegl Country.
All groups that went on the tour experienced typically seasonal climatic conditions: humidity, wind, drizzle, cloud cover, and then blue skies. We were lucky that the weather held over the three days. During the tour, students were taken to the eastern end of Brooms Head beach to look at the lagoon and how it was used as a fish trap. They then went to the top of the headland to look at the geology of the rock strata which was the source for stone axes and implements used by Aboriginal peoples. Uncle Ron Heron and Aunty Glenda McPhail spoke to the staff and students about plants, animals and their experiences in the area as children.
For the first time this year, we introduced another teaching element, which was art. Students were given boards, paper, pencils and paint, and were instructed by the art staff on the techniques of drawing a landscape in situ. All the students did exceptionally well in sketching aspects of Yaegl Country, and their work will go towards the art show and the River of Learning Celebration Day in Term 2.
The tours are a very important part of the school calendar and mark the beginning of the River of Learning program and the Celebration Day planned for Term 2. A huge thank you to Uncle Ron Heron, Aunty Glenda McPhail, Sam Kapeen, Krystal Randall, Deborah Breckenridge, Anjanette Warburton and all Year 7 who displayed exemplary behaviour during the tours.
