2020 - Term 2 Diary dates · The Indigenous peoples cul vated, planted and har-vested their crops. They kept the plains clear with careful land management and control of weeds, while

King St., Wallendbeen 2588 Ph: 69432568 Fax: 69432654 Email: [email protected] Mrs Toni Daly Principal

www.wallendbee-p.schools.nsw.edu.au1

King St., Wallendbeen 2588 Ph: 69432568 Fax: 69432654 Email: [email protected] Mrs Toni Daly Principal wallendbee-p.schools.nsw.edu.au

“From Small Beginnings” Established 1881

Friday, 3rd July 2020

2020 - Term 2 Diary dates

3rd July — Last day of term

20th July — Staff Dev Day

21st July — Students first day

Term Dates for 2020 Term 1 29/01/20— 9/04/20 Term 2 – 28/04/20 — 3/7/20 Term 3 – 21/7/20 —25/9/20 Term 4 - 12/10/20 — 18/12/20 Staff only: 28/1, 27/4, 20/7, 19 & 20/12/2020

Dear Parents, Community and Friends,

Dear Parents,

As we wrap up a what is considered a very challenging Term

Two for our larger school communi es, we reflect and count

our blessings that we work and learn in this beau ful small

school. We will be issuing a full report and not an amended

version as men oned by other schools.

A big welcome to Tristen and his family who have joined our

li le school. Tristen has se led easily into Wallendbeen as all

our students welcomed him to our school. We trust you will

love being a member of our li le family as we do you.

We have con nued to learn about the truer history of our Indig-

enous peoples and the things I have learnt from Bruce Pascoe

has been amazing. I certainly was never taught this when I was

at school, so I encourage you all to read my latest instalment of

what we have learnt from our First Na on peoples perspec ve

and get hold of Bruce Pascoe’s ‘Dark Emu’, for further reading.

Our students have learnt a great deal and will be wri ng a per-

suasive le er to our Minster of Educa on encouraging all

schools to have a copy of Bruce Pascoe’s ‘Young Dark Emu’ in

every classroom.

A en on all visitors; when you visit Wallendbeen you will find a

health sta on at our front door, please remain at the sta on,

sani se your hands and ring the bell for assistance. Please do

no come into the office, we are trying to keep our staff,

students and parents safe and appreciate your coopera on

with this.

Have a great break and please keep washing your hands, keep

your distance and stay safe. We will see you in fortnight. Re-

member Monday 20th July is a staff development day and pupil

free day. Students return Tuesday 21st July 2020.

Mrs Toni Daly

Principal

Happy Birthday Mrs Daly!!!

Some of our Indigenous art works




During our lessons we have been learning about the truer history of our Indigenous peoples. The Bri sh de-

clared Australia terra nullius, which means ‘land belonging to no one’. They argued that Australia was not

se led because there was not evidence of dwellings or farms. Through the book ‘Young Dark Emu’ by Bruce

Pascoe we have a been learning quite a different perspec ve, backed with primary evidence.

Agriculture

Our First Na ons Peoples were not merely hunter and gathers, they were farmers. They had crops of yams

and explorers and earlier se lers noted in their diaries/journals, witnessing the harves ng of yams, grasses

and other na ve plants that was used for food and medicine. Evidence has been found that Indigenous peo-

ples crushed seeds using 36,000 year old grinding stones which were found in New South Wales. Grind-

stones used by Aboriginal Australians to turn seeds into flours for baking. That’s well ahead of other civilisa-

ons that started baking early on, like the Egyp ans, who began making bread around 17,000 BC.

One of the earliest English farmers near Melbourne in Victoria, Isaac Batey, was

amazed by the agricultural methods of the Aboriginal people and the produc vity they

had created. He recorded:… the soil is rich in basal c clay, evidently well fi ed for the

produc on of myrongs (yams). On the spot are numerous mounds with short spaces

between each, and as al these are at right angles to the ridges slope it is conclusive

evidence that they were the work of human hands extending over a long series of

years. Source: Frankel, D (1882). The Indigenous peoples cul vated, planted and har-

vested their crops. They kept the plains clear with careful land management and control of weeds, while s ll

working with the land.

In 1823, Thomas Mitchell was exploring the Barwon River region of Queensland, came across substan al

crops of wheat like grain. In his diary he wrote:… the grass is pulled… and piled in hayricks, so that the as-

pect of the desert was so ened into agreeable semblances of a hay-field…were found the ricks or hay-

cocks extending for miles. Source: TL (1848/1969).

Aquaculture

Aquaculture is the farming of fish and other water animals for food. This

was established all over Australia thousands of years before the first

colonists arrived. The Brewarrina Fishing System in north west of New

South Wales is so old that the local Aboriginal people, the Ngemba, say it

was constructed by the creator spirit Baiame. Archaeological team age the

fish traps to be at lease 40 000 years. Witnesses in the

Was Australia really Terra Nullius?




1800s who saw the systems were astounded by the efficiency of the traps and the enormous harvest of

fish. The engineer of the structure was ingenious. A system of locking the boulders in place fixed the trap

to the bed of the stream and strong enough to withstand floods. The traps were designed to allow breed-

ing stock to pass through so that upstream fisheries could have their share. As John Batman explored Vic-

toria, he saw fish traps and weirs on all the rivers he came across. He noted that the existence of a fish

trap meant there would be a permanent village nearby. Early explorers

and colonists observed aquaculture systems in all parts of Australia.

These ingenious systems were perfectly adapted for the par cular con-

di ons of the area and the species they intend to catch. Today very few

of these ingenious systems exist. William Thomas, who saw many aq-

uaculture systems, reported that most traps and villages were de-

stroyed by Europeans in the first days a er their arrival. One such sys-

tem belonged to a par cularly large village near Port Fairy in Western Victoria. The village had more that

30 houses and was capable of accommoda on around 200 to 250 people. Early se lers burnt the whole

village and destroyed the fishery sluice gates.

Home

It is common percep on even today that the Aboriginal Australians were nomadic and lived in imperma-

nent or movable simple structures. However, the explorers’ diaries and journals are brimming with refer-

ences to substan al Aboriginal housing across the con nent. In his diaries, Thomas Mitchell recorded his

astonishment at en re villages of houses.

(Some huts)… being large, circular, and made of straight rods

mee ng at an upright pole in the centre; the outside had first

been covered with bark and grass, and then en rety coated

with clay. The fire appeared to have been made nearly in the

centre; and a hole at the top had been le as a chimney.

Source: Mitchell, TL (1839)

A er coun ng the houses, Mitchell es mated the popula on as over 1000 people. He was disappointed

that nobody was home – the evidence is that Aboriginal people had lived at the place for a very long me

and had only just le . Permanent houses in villages such as these are further evidence of Aboriginal peo-

ples dependence on agriculture. Permanent se lements show people are confident in having a reliable

and known food source.

Sturt wrote that on the Darling River in New South Wales…. These huts were built in rows, the front of

one hut being at the back of the other, and it appeared to be a singular but universal custom to erect a

smaller hut at no great distance from the large ones. Source: Sturt. C (1849)

Please note: Majority of this ar cle came directly from Bruce Pascoe’s ‘Young Dark Emu’ and I really on

just touched on some of the main points, I highly recommend for further reading: ‘Dark Emu’. This learn-

ing process has been very enlightening, and a very different to the way I was taught about our First

Na ons peoples.

Documents

2020 - Term 2 Diary dates · The Indigenous peoples cul vated, planted and har-vested their crops. They kept the plains clear with careful land management and control of weeds, while