Intro
Introductions start from Monday 26 May 2008. During this part of the rap, rappers send a short class message of introduction. Please tell us:
- the name of your school
- your town or city and the Aboriginal Land on which your school stands
- the Aboriginal Land could be included in an Acknowledgment of Country
- any information about your location or your class group that would interest other rappers
- any initial reactions to the texts
- what you would like to learn about and what technology, writing and other skills you would like to develop during the rap.
Don’t forget, you can also respond to comments made by other groups of rappers.
Why not check out locations of other schools in this rap with Google maps or whereis?
Click on the Comments link below to add your class introductory message.
May 22nd, 2008 at 7:49 pm
Welcome Everyone,
I am the Rap coordinator and I look forward to hearing from all of you!
In your first blog post, tell us about yourselves – your school, tafe or group. Which year are you in and what Aboriginal Land does your school stand on? Show us the Welcome to Country, or Acknowledgment of Country, that you have written – it can be different from anyone else’s as long it shows respect to your Elders. People of every culture are welcome in this blog space – let us know a bit about your backgrounds, if you want!!
We are really looking forward to reading what you have to say and looking at any pictures you send us. When you tell us who you are – PLEASE USE FIRST NAMES only!! Of course, you can show your blog posts at home, to your family and friends, so they know what you are learning about cultural identity and how to grow up proud and strong.
Please address blog comments to me if you have any questions about what you need to do each week. If you have any questions about Aboriginal culture please post your questions to Daphne Bell or Maureen Wenzel and they will blog back to you as soon as possible. Teachers, please address your blog to Ian McLean in the Teachers Section if you have any technical questions.
Welcome!
Lizzie Chase
Head Teacher Teaching and Learning
Chifley College Bidwill Campus
May 23rd, 2008 at 10:36 am
Hi Everyone,
We are a group of Aboriginal kids in Year 7 at Chifley College Bidwill Campus. Our names are Makayla, Koby, Jack, Jesse, Stephanie, James, Melissa and Kaitlyn.
We heard Patrick Mau’s song, My Blood My People. He comes from the Torres Strait. He says, “Learn from my people.” “This is my people, this is who I am.” “This is where I come from, this is who I am.”
Our homework is finding out who we belong to – we are going to ask our parents which people and place they come from. Welcome to country is said by a person from that land. Marilyn is our AEA and she is Darug – there are lots of ways of spelling this, but we use this way.
Acknowledgement of Country Written By Us
Welcome to Darug country
We respect our Elders past and present
We give honour to Uncle Greg Simms,
Auntie Edna Watson and Auntie Patricia Jarvis
See you, Bidwill Campus Bloggers!!
May 27th, 2008 at 10:56 am
Hi we are Alvin, Nathan, Nathan, Payge, Jade and Shakirra.
We are Year 6 students from Bidwill Public School In Mt Druitt, Sydney.
Our Aboriginal land is Darug Land.
“Welcome to Darug Land. We respect and acknowledge the Elders of the Darug people. We remember and honour those who have past. For the future generations we will learn with you about your heritage”.
Later, Bidwill Rappers.
May 28th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Hello rappers!
We are the students of 6W English at Penrith Public School. We have combined the introductions of our three groups into one message.
Penrith is in western Sydney, near the Nepean River, at the foot of the Blue Mountains. We are about one hour by train from the city of Sydney. We are very close to the Museum of Fire, Penrith Plaza, Nepean Hospital and the Sydney Olympic Games’ Regatta Centre.
Here is the Acknowledgment of Land which is said at the start of our school assemblies:
“The Land is our Mother. The Land is not just something we walk on. We should see the Land as our Mother who lives and breathes life. We are all living spirits and we need to look after her.
“If the Land gets sick, we all get sick. The Aboriginal people have always known this.
“Today, I ask each of you to continue caring for Mother Earth. The original caretakers of this Land are the Darug and Gundungurra People. We remember their lives and their ongoing spirits in Mother Earth.
“It is important to know the past for then we see the future.”
(Written by Mrs Raylene Popovich, one of the parents in our school community, 27/10/05.)
The students at Penrith PS are lucky to have a big playground, a grassed area “across the road”, a new assembly hall, an art room and Rainbow Cottage (where Mrs Bradley helps the ESL students). Soon we will have a new playing surface on our old tennis court.
It’s easy for new students to make lots of friends at this school, so we don’t feel like “the odd one out” for long. Our teachers are very caring and friendly. They want us to be smart when we leave for high school. They plan lots of activities for us including Reading Picnics, Book Fairs, our Rule Song, Pedlar’s Fair and “Walking Around Australia”.
Our core vales are: Learning, Cooperation, Respect and Environment. We go forward with pride.
By joining this rap we hope to learn about identity, other schools, and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People. We will be using Google for searching the Internet, learning how to talk to other schools on a blog, and how to cooperate in small groups to write our answers.
Best wishes from 6W English, Penrith PS
May 28th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Hi, Bidwill Rappers – Alvin, Nathan, Payge, Jade, Shakirra and Nathan – we should get together one week and do one of the blog activities as one group!!
To Maureen Wenzel:
Maureen, When does someone become an Elder? What do Elders do in their communities?
To Daphne Bell:
Daphne, Uncle Greg Simms is of Gundungurra descent and Darug descent. How do YOU introduce yourself – what do you say to people to tell them where you come from?
See you, Bidwill Campus Bloggers
May 28th, 2008 at 3:41 pm
Hello rappers,
We are students from 5P at Penrith Public School.
What does “Identity” means to us?
We thought about appearance, personality and clothing. Maybe identity has to do with meeting new people, learning how to have more friends, and learning how to get along with others?
Different people have different cultural backgrounds. Sometimes we have different names (such as nicknames) in different places and with different people. One of the girls in our group said that her family thinks of her as “a girly girl” but she knows she is really “a tomboy”.
An identity is like a fingerprint. Every one of us may have a different identity, even twins. Superheroes have secret identities. (Even some teachers!) Is identity about the way we celebrate things that are important to us?
What technology might we learn about in this activity?
We will use computers to talk to students at other schools. We will learn what is a rap point, how to write group messages, and how to explain our feelings to other schools.
We are trying something new. Will we learn about what is a blog, how to type fast, how to find the locations of other schools, and whether sending messages by email is better than using a blog?
We are looking forward to rapping with you, and to finding the answers to our many questions about identity, technology and communicating.
5P Rappers at Penrith PS
May 28th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
Hi everyone who is reading this.
We are a group of ten students from 5E at Penrith Public School. We are first time rappers. Our names are Tayla, Yating, Aimie, Homa, Tatenda, Parvathy, Cherisse, Taela, Anousha and Jeff. All of us have different backgrounds and identities. For example, our families come from England, China, Holland, India, Africa, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Australia.
Going west, Penrith is halfway between Sydney city and Katoomba in the Blue Mountains. Our teacher is Mr Emmingham, but we call him “Mr E”. Our teacher librarian is Mr McLean. We wrote some of this message with Mrs Wilkes.
We have 404 students in our school. Our uniform is blue, white and red: the colours of the Australian flag. Our shirt is a polo shirt and we are allowed to wear it untucked.
This school has a new assembly hall with automatic shutter doors, and a COLA (Covered Outside Learning Area). We have a large playground, play equipment, three shadecloth shelters, and a grassy field we always call “across the road”.
We are very excited and eager to start rapping!
5E Rappers at Penrith PS
May 28th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
G’day rappers,
We are students from 6B English at Penrith Public School.
Here is a little about our school. We are at the foot of the Blue Mountains, on Darug and Gundungurra Land. Each week, at our assemblies, the first thing we do is listen to our Acknowledgment of Land.
We have around 410 students at our school and our teachers’ names are Mrs Bussey and Mr Ward. Only a few of us have rapped before.
Our group has a wide range of backgrounds. Penrith PS is a very multicultural school. Mrs Bradley is the ESL teacher who helps students who have just come from other countries. We have a hearing support class for students who are hearing impaired.
There is a big grassed play area across the road from our school.
We hope during this term we will learn more about our heritage. We also hope to learn from the experiences of other rappers.
We can’t wait to hear back from everyone.
From 6B English at Penrith PS.
May 29th, 2008 at 9:25 am
Hi!,
We’re class 5/6S and we come from Dawson Public School. We have many cultural backgrounds that we are proud of. Our class has two Aboriginal people. We also have people that come from Samoa, Iraq, Palestine, Jordan, New Zealand, Fiji and Italy. Most of us were born in Australia. We live on the Aboriginal Land known as Darug. We are participating in this Book Rap because we are learning about Identity this term.
We would like to acknowledge the Darug people who are the traditional custodians of the Land. We would also like to pay respect to Elders both past and present of the Darug Nation.
Bye for now,
5/6S
May 29th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Good Morning from Crawford,
We are from Crawford Public School which is in Doonside NSW. There are 26 children in our class. Our school is located on Darug Land. Every week in our school assembly we acknowledge the Land with our Welcome to Country.
“I would like to show my respect and acknowledge the traditional custodians of the Land of Elders past and present on which this meeting takes place.”
We are excited to be a part of the Identity Book Rap and look forward to reading and posting blogs in the future.
May 30th, 2008 at 9:15 am
Hi Rappers,
I am Daphne and I am one of the writers. I hope you enjoy reading the stories.
May 30th, 2008 at 9:38 am
G’day to all our fellow rappers! We are a class of year 5 and 6 students from Glenhaven Public School in Sydney.
We are from lots of different countries and through our work this week we have discovered we are a very multicultural class. We don’t have any Aboriginal students in our class but we know that our class is situated on Darug land.
“We acknowledge the Darug people are the traditional custodians of this Land. We show our respect for the Darug Elders, past and present.”
We look forward to reading your responses.
Glenhaven 5/6K Rappers
May 30th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
Hello rappers,
We are Year 5 Aboriginal students at Penrith Public School who are working with Mrs Nuttall, our AEO (Aboriginal Education Officer), and Mr McLean, our teacher librarian, on this rap. Our names are Tyra, Kaylee, Joel, Billy-Dean, Bobby, Ryan, Grace and Caitlin.
At our school assemblies we always start with an Acknowledgment of Land. “The original caretakers of this Land are the Darug and Gundungurra People. We remember their lives and their ongoing spirits in Mother Earth.”
We think that identity is:
• the name of something
• how we look different
• my Land, my People
• how we look on the outside
• how we are on the inside (feelings, sensitivity, personality, culture).
We think this rap might help us with technology and writing skills by:
• learning how computers work
• uploading to the Internet
• learning how to greet people on a blog
• using storytelling
• finding out about Aboriginal languages
• working together as a group.
We are looking forward to this rap.
May 30th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Hi everyone,
We are Cory and Bianca. We are Year 7 and 8 students at Wollumbin High School in Murwillumbah, NSW, and we hope a few others will join us soon.
The local people are the Ngundawal People of the Bundjalung Nation.
We would like to Acknowledge the Ngundawal people who are the Traditional Custodians of this Land. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present of the Bundjalung Nation and extend that respect to other Aboriginals in this rap.
We have never rapped before and nor have our teachers. We are going to get together during some break times to see how it works.
bye till next week,
Wollumbin bloggers
May 30th, 2008 at 10:53 pm
Hello everyone, and congratulations on some really great introductions. I hope you have enjoyed discussing what to put in your introductory message with your colleagues, teachers and community members.
Lots of you are first time rappers and I’m sure you’ll soon be spreading the word about how much fun rapping and blogging can be. Welcome aboard to Bidwill Campus Bloggers, Bidwill PS, Penrith PS, Crawford PS, Glenhaven PS and Wollumbin High School. We are off to a really good start! Don’t forget, even when you’re busy over on Rap Point 1, that new introductions may keep appearing here, so please check back on this page often, and update your Rap Map!
Best wishes to you all,
Mr McLean, teacher librarian,
Penrith PS
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:06 am
Welcome Penrith PS Bloggers – I’ve written a comment to each group!!
6W English- I was blown away by the Acknowledgement Of Country that your school uses – it’s fantastic.
5P – I liked your thoughts about identity – being like a fingerprint – I agree that how we celebrate events is part of our identity too.
5E – Welcome Tayla, Yating, Aimie, Homa, Tatenda, Pavarthy, Cherisse, Taela, Anousha and Jeff – it’s great you come from so many backgrounds!
6B English – Thanks for the information about your school and for being keen to learn about cultural heritage.
Year 5 – Welcome Tyra, Kaylee, Joel, Billy-Dean, Bobby, Ryan, Grace and Caitlyn – I really liked your thoughts on identity.
Regards, Lizzie
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:16 am
Welcome to Dawson PS, Crawford PS, Glenhaven PS and Wollumbin HS,
It’s great to have you on board – I’ve written a comment to each of your schools below.
Dawson PS – Good day to 5/6S – It’s fantastic that you are studying Identity this term! Hope you learn heaps about what builds identity over the next few weeks.
Crawford PS – Welcome to your class of 26!
Glenhaven PS – Good day to 5/6K – It’s wonderful to have you on board – it’s great that you have such a multicultural group!!
Wollumbin HS – Welcome, Cory and Bianca – thanks for letting us know that your school is on Ngundawal Land as part of the Bundjalung Nation. We are so glad you are part of this – stay with us – even if it’s just you two!!
Regards, Lizzie
June 2nd, 2008 at 2:30 pm
Hello all schools in this rap!
We are six boys from Years 5 and 6. We are at Penrith Public School, in Class SCHC, which is for deaf and hearing-impaired students. Our teacher is Mrs Coote. Miss Kaszonyi helps us on Mondays. Our teacher librarian is Mr McLean.
What we think about identity:
* We had a talk about the difference between being deaf and being hearing-impaired.
* We have two Aboriginal students in our group. Another boy has Italian background.
* We know which blog posts belong to our school because we can see the school badge.
What we might learn about technology:
* What is a rap?
* Reading blog posts from other schools.
* How to share our thinking with other schools.
We hope you enjoy reading our blog posts.
From SCHC at Penrith Public School.
June 3rd, 2008 at 2:30 pm
Our School is called St Joseph’s Primary School which is located in Laurieton, NSW. Our school is situated in a great place which is full of Aboriginal Culture and home of Big Brother Mountain. The local Aboriginal Tribe near us is called the Birpai Tribe.
We have an Aboriginal helper called Buddy who helps us with sport, his culture and he also looks after our school. Our class participated in the Maths program called Mathletics and we came 48th in the world and 2nd in Australia. We also had the Youth Day Cross come to our school and we all got a chance to touch it. Our school has about 200 people. Every Monday morning in assembly one of our teachers read out the Aboriginal Acknowledgement of the Birpai people. This Acknowledgement is:
“We acknowledge the Birpai people who were the traditional custodians of this Land.
“We pay respect to the leaders, past present and future, for they hold the memories, the traditions, the culture and hopes of Aboriginal Australia.
“Let us always remember that under the concrete and asphalt this land is, was and always will be traditional Aboriginal Land.”
Cya soon rappers
bye till next week
From Mitch, Lach, Mrs Aldridge and the rest of Year 6
June 3rd, 2008 at 2:37 pm
Hi Rappers,
My name is Daphne Bell. I am the Aboriginal Educational Assistant at Crawford Public School Doonside.
I have been at Crawford for nearly 20 years and loved every moment. Crawford is a good School.
My Dad is a proud Ngunnawal Elder from Yass and my Mum’s is a proud Wiradjuri woman also from Yass/Tumut.
I am a proud Ngunnawal woman born at Yass. Ngunnawal children take their father’s side.
Have a great day
Keep Smiling
Daff
June 3rd, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Hi Rappers
We are Year 7 Red One from Dubbo College Delroy Campus. Delroy is a Year 7 to 9 school of about 500 students. Our school is in Dubbo which is located in the Central West of NSW. Dubbo is a vibrant and a multicultural community with people from many parts of the world such as Africa, Asia and the United States. We have a strong Aboriginal identity of about 40 000 years.
Dubbo is in Wiradjuri Country and is famous for the Western Plains Zoo which is in conjunction with Taronga Zoo in Sydney. We have a big indoor sports centre and we play indoor cricket, soccer, netball and laser skirmish.
Our Acknowledgement to Country is below and we say this on special occasions.
“We would like to acknowledge the Wiradjuri people who are the traditional custodians of this Land. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present of the Wiradjuri Nation and other Aboriginal people for they hold the memories the traditions, cultures and the hopes of Aboriginal Australia. We must always remember that under the concrete this land is, was and always will be traditional Aboriginal Land.”
Year 7 Red One, Dubbo
June 3rd, 2008 at 8:18 pm
Welcome to SCHC at Penrith Public School – Great to meet you boys!! Could you tell me the difference between deaf and hearing impaired? – I would like to learn this. If you want to, tell us your first names so we know who you are!!
Welcome to the Rebel Rappers from St Joseph’s Primary School in Laurieton. I love the name of the mountain near you – Big Brother Mountain. Could you tell me the name of one of your Birpai Elders?
Welcome to Year 7 Red One from Dubbo – could you tell me the name of one of your Wiradjuri Elders? Skirmish ball sounds a great sport – I wish the students at my school could do that!
Great to have you on board!
Lizzie Chase
Rap Coordinator
June 4th, 2008 at 8:43 am
A big hello to all the rappers,
We are from Westmead PS which is right next to Parramatta. Our school has just over 900 students and we love being here. There are seven Stage 3 classes at our school. We are a multicultural school and everyone does their best to take part in as many school activities as they can.
The responses so far from other schools have been very interesting to read.
This is our first rap and we are very excited about using a new tool which will help us in our learning now and in the future. There are 3 classes participating: 5D, 5H and 5/6C.
In the beginning of all assemblies and meetings the following Acknowledgement is read:
“We would like to show respect and acknowledge the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land on which this meeting takes place.
“We would like to respectfully acknowledge the Dharug people who are the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the Land on which we stand.”
Our sharing of the book rap sessions will be done in our weekly library lesson. Looking forward to reading responses and hearing about what other schools are doing.
Enjoy your day!
Year 5 and 6 rappers @ Westmead
June 4th, 2008 at 11:23 am
Hey all you ‘deadly’ rappers!
How cool to have such responses so early in the project? I have had a little problem with my blog access, but I am all go now… (big thank you to Lizzie Chase).
A very warm Bundjalung welcome to Bidwill Campus, Bidwill PS, Penrith PS, Dawson PS, Crawford PS,Glenhaven PS, Wollumbin HS, St. Joseph’s PS, Delroy Campus, and Westmead PS. I am really excited about being a part of this rap. The introductions I have read from you rappers is fantastic, it gives me a great picture of your classes and the country on which you share knowledge.
Keep up the great work!!!
Rap coordinator,
Maureen Wenzel
June 4th, 2008 at 11:48 am
Hey Bidwill Campus Bloggers – In answer to your question on Elders
In traditional times, the term “Elder” was not used. Although we had wise ones, and “clever people”, we knew those who were to be respected and revered without putting a label on them. Our “wise ones” held great knowledge. The honour of the knowledge was passed on to them during the initiation process a little at a time.
Only certain people were chosen to be caretakers of the knowledge. Through initiation cycles, they were taught the dreaming paths / tracks of their people, and they had a close spiritual connection with their country and ancestral spirits.
In modern times, we still have “wise ones”, those who continue a strong connection with country and ancestors. Those who understand the importance, maintenance, and continuation of culture and identity. Those who hold great wisdom and respect in our communities. Our “wise ones” today are often called upon to give cultural talks, Welcome to Country, to represent the Aboriginal community at important functions, and be advisors and support people in schools and community.
Being an Elder is not related to how old a person is, it is about gaining wisdom and respect through lifelong connection to culture, Land and community.
There can be no self nominated Elders.
Thanks for the great question!
Maureen Wenzel
June 4th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
Hi I’m from Biraban Public School and my class is 5/6P and I am in Year 6.
We live in Toronto, New South Wales, Australia. Our school is trying very hard to keep the Environment clean and we are building lots of gardens and trees. Our school has lots of people that are descendants of the traditional people of this Land. Our school is well recognised and has been in the local newspapers many times.
The main leader of the Awabakal tribe is Biraban and our school is proud to take his name as our school. Our School Acknowledgement:
“I would like to Acknowledge the Awabakal people who are the Traditional Custodians of this Land. I would aslo like to pay respect th the Elders both past and present of the Awabakal Nation and extend that respect to other Aboriginals present.”
Our students and families are happy that the Awabakal people of the past have looked after this area so well and we remain committed the work to look after our school. We pay our respects to the great Elder Biraban who led the Awabakal people many years ago, and we are proud that our school has his name and the name of his totem Biraban (Sea Eagle).
June 4th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
Hello,
We come from Richmond High. Our school is on Dhurak Land. We are all Aboriginal students in Year 7 and our names are Amy, McKayler, Heath, Kyle, Kirra-Lee, Cassie, Annalise, Stacey, Naomie and Tora. We come from many different nations all over Australia.
“We would like to show our respect and acknowledge the traditional Custodians of the Dhurak Land, of elders (Uncle Greg Simms and Aunty Edna Watson) past and present on which this meeting takes place.”
We listened to ‘My Blood, My People’ by Patrick Mau. It was fully sick in a good way. We are all trying to find out our nations and hope to learn lots.
Thank you. Cya Brahh.
June 5th, 2008 at 9:30 am
Je Year 7 from Richmond High,
Patrick Mau is great. Hope you have fun with this rap, and that you find out lots about your nations and your people. See if your school has a copy of the Aboriginal Languages Map, that way you will be able to see where your country is while you are learning about others.
I am looking forward to learning where you all come from. if you are Wiradjuri or Bundjalung, I speak a little of your language.
Maureen Wenzel
June 5th, 2008 at 10:21 am
Je Biraban,
Your school sounds like a very special and beautiful place. I have a strong connection with the environment, so it is great to hear that you are caring for it so well. In my travels I have made many friends among the Awabakal people. I look forward to sharing more stories of your country, people and school. Welcome to the Identity rap, I hope you enjoy participating.
Maureen Wenzel
June 5th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
Hello Ms Chase,
This is the Stage 2 and Stage 3 boys of SCHC at Penrith PS answering your question.
Deaf people are not able to hear. They might be able to feel very loud sounds.
Some deaf children can hear because they have a cochlear implant.
Hearing-impaired people can hear only some sounds, some music and some voices.
From Parviz, Chris, Blake, Robbie, Josiah, Ali, Sizar, Jake and Frank,
SCHC, Penrith PS
June 5th, 2008 at 6:52 pm
Good Day Stage 2 and 3 Boys of the SCHC at Penrith PS,
Thanks for explaining the difference between deaf and hearing impaired – great to have you with us Parviz, Chris, Blake, Robbie, Josiah, Ali, Sizar, Jake and Frank!!!
Ask Maureen and Daphne any questions you would like to about Aboriginal culture – they would love to hear from you.
Regards, Lizzie Chase
Rap Coordinator
June 5th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
A HUGE welcome to Westmead PS – 5D, 5H and 5/6C. Wow – your school is BIG – with 900 students. We can’t wait to hear your thoughts about identity.
Welcome to Biraban PS – how cool that your school is named after the main leader of the Awabakal tribe! I’m impressed that you are working hard on the environment, making gardens.
Welcome also to Richmond HS – good day to Amy, McKayler, Heath, Kyle, Kirra-Lee, Stacey, Cassie, Annalise, Naomie and Tora – I really liked Patrick Mau’s ‘My Blood My People’ too – at our school [Bidwill Campus] the kids played it over and over because it’s so funky.
Looking forward to hearing from you again and sharing your stories about identity.
Lizzie Chase
Rap Coordinator
June 6th, 2008 at 9:10 am
To Maureen Wenzel,
Thanks for telling us about Elders. We learned that they weren’t called Elders – they were known as the wise ones. Thanks for telling us. Kaitlyn, Makayla and Jack
June 6th, 2008 at 11:03 am
Hi everyone
We’re 7R3 at Dubbo College-Delroy Campus. We are located in East Street, West Dubbo, across the road from the hockey nets in Pioneer Park.
We might not be the smartest but we are the coolest! We are part of 3 campuses; they are South, Delroy (junior campuses – 7 to 9) and Senior 10 to 12. Our school is the shape of an ‘X’ in its design and we have 500 students at our campus.
On Fridays we leave school early at 2:35 pm. On important occasions we invite Aboriginial Elders, Uncle John Hill and Bub Towney, to do the Welcome to Country. We live in Wiradjuri Land.
Our Acknowledgement to the country is:
“We are respectful and acknowledge the Wiradjuri people, past and present who are the original custodians of our Land.”
7R3 at Dubbo College-Delroy Campus
June 6th, 2008 at 8:47 pm
Good day 7R3 at Dubbo College-Delroy Campus,
Great to hear from you!! It’s a pleasure to meet some really cool kids – thanks for telling us about Uncle John Hill and Bub Towney. We have some Towneys living in Sydney – now I know they are Wiradjuri people. Hope you enjoy the rap and I look forward to hearing your ideas about identity.
Welcome,
Lizzie Chase
Rap Coordinator
June 12th, 2008 at 11:06 am
Hello, we are a Year 7 class of 28 students in a school called Dubbo College Delroy Campus.
There are 8 Aboriginal students and 20 non-Aboriginal students in our class. We have over 500 students enrolled from Years 7-9. 25% of the school’s population is Aboriginal and 75% is non-Aboriginal.
Dubbo is a town situated in the heart of New South Wales. It is a 5 hour drive to Sydney, 4 hours from Newcastle, and a 10 hour drive from Melbourne and Brisbane. The population of Dubbo is 39,200 and still growing. It covers over 3,426 km2. It has the best zoo in the central west and is currently undergoing a 35 million dollar revamp.
“We would like to acknowledge the Wiradjuri people who are the traditional custodians of the Dubbo region on which we stand. We would like to pay respect to the Elders of our region who are Uncle Ray Peckham, Uncle John Hill, Aunty Bub Towney and Mrs Unita Lake.”
June 12th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
Good Day 7R2 at Dubbo College Delroy Campus – Welcome!
Wow, you have 25% of your school population that is Aboriginal – that is so cool. Thanks for all the Dubbo facts, which I didn’t know – it’s a great intro to your town. I had no idea that your Zoo is having a $35 million upgrade – I went there some years ago and really liked it. Now I know it’s being revamped, I’ll head out there again!
Thank you for your acknowledgement of country and for letting us know the names of your local Elders. We hope you have a great time doing this rap – welcome aboard, 7R2.
Lizzie Chase
Rap Coordinator
July 3rd, 2008 at 10:02 am
These are 7R2’s good reasons for knowing about our culture:-
1. To know where we come from and where we are going.
2. Gives us a sense of identity and belonging.
3. It makes me the person I am.
4. So we can keep links to our culture strong.
5. Gives us our identity to respect our culture.
These are our cultural messages for living a good life:-
1. To always show respect to elders, have goals.
2. Be an excellent example to others.
3. Be proud and strong of our culture.
4. Treat people well – do not judge people.
5. Teach respect, self – confidence and motivation.
delroy7r2
July 4th, 2008 at 11:07 am
Good Day 7R2 at Delroy Campus! – Love your work!
You sound like a group with strong sense of purpose and some very clear ideas about identity and culture. I agree with you that knowing about our culture helps us to know where we are headed and also creates our current identity.
Good on you for your messages for a good life! As you say, having goals and respecting our elders are really important things. If we treat each other with respect, it goes such a long way. This is called the Golden Rule – “Treat others the way you want to be treated.”
Thanks for sharing your ideas!
Lizzie Chase
Rap Coordinator