It was a day of community spirit when St Brigid’s Primary School celebrated Reconiliation Week with the unveiling of their Worimi seasons mural.
The vibrant and meaningful artwork painted by Worimi man Uncle Jason Russell will serve as a learning wall for generations of students.
Teacher for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Kristen Jones said the Raymond Terrace school wanted to have something on their school grounds that students could learn from for many years to come.
“All of our classes learn about the Worimi seasons, but in particular our Year I cohort do a particular topic on it,” she said.
The 21-metre mural depicts the meeting of the Hunter and Williams rivers, showcasing the connection between land and culture.
It also features local plants and animals native to the area, celebrating the richness of the Worimi people and serves as a daily reminder of the ongoing journey toward reconciliation.
Ms Jones said they decided to approach a local Worimi artist to bring the school’s vision of showcasing the significance of where the school sits on Country.
“Our school at Raymond Terrace sits on the junction of the two rivers so we wanted to show our students where we sit as part of Worimi country,” she said.
In addition to the amazing culture that it shares, Ms Jones said the school now has a learning space that will benefit many students for years to come.
“We’ve now got the ability to share culture widely,” she said.
Already benefiting from the mural is Year 1 student Owen Russell, whose favourite part about the mural is the story of echidnas walking in a straight line.
“It is very colourful,” he said.
In the classroom, Owen and his peers have been learning all about the Worimi seasons, including kangaroos and the Gymea Lily.
“When the kangaroos are fighting, it is hot weather so the Worimi people know not to kill the kangaroos because they’ve got nowhere to store them,” he said.
Owen admires the mural every day he’s at school and Ms Jones said students would grab their chairs and sit around to watch Uncle Jason Russell paint the mural.
“It was really special to see it all come together and to see the students so immersed,” she said.
The mural is located in the main playground area for the infant students and is positioned right outside the Kindergarten and Year 1 classrooms.
The theme of reconciliation this year is bridging the now to next and Ms Jones said it was a significant moment to unveil the mural during Reconiliation Week.
“We had some Worimi elders come along and it was just beautiful,” she said.
“It was powerful.”
The school has about 400 students and Ms Jones said all of the students participated in the Acknowledgement to Country during the mural unveiling assembly on June 9.
