Koori crew make the connection

By Emma Sun
KOORI students from Cranbourne Secondary College learned about their culture and the indigenous community recently as part of the Connection to Country Day.
The event was run by the Inter Council Aboriginal Consultative Committee (ICACC) and gave students from schools in Casey, Cardinia and Greater Dandenong the opportunity to connect with the wider indigenous community.
The day featured a didgeridoo jam session, a traditional dance performance, a cultural heritage presentation, a wildlife handler and Yung Warrior, an indigenous hip-hop group.
The school’s Wannik co-ordinator Sharon Linsell said the students made good use of the opportunity to network and gained a greater insight into the indigenous community.
“The kids really enjoyed the day and a lot were mingling with kids from other schools,” she said.
“It was a good way for them to get know what goes on in their region and make links in the community and get involved.
“There were a few that really didn’t want to be involved because they didn’t want to explain their heritage, especially when they look so white, so it was good for them to see that not everyone’s connected to their community and that you can learn as you get older about your past.”
Adam Magennis, traditional custodian at ICACC facilitated on the day, and praised the success of the event.
“Last year we ran a couple of youth forum days in Dandenong and they were very successful so we wanted to widen it up a bit,” he said.
“It’s part of regional setup called the Cultural Education Village, where we provide cultural awareness within the mainstream school system and I think it went really well.”