Over 120 Indigenous students from St Bernard’s Primary School, Batemans Bay; St Mary’s Primary School, Moruya; Carroll College, Broulee; St Patrick’s Primary School, Bega; and Lumen Christi Catholic College, Pambula, gathered together in Broulee for Yuin Banaan.

Yuin Banaan is a celebration of Aboriginal culture. The event was held in conjunction with NAIDOC Week celebrations and was an opportunity for students and their families to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture.

Event Organiser and Specialist Aboriginal Education and Literacy Officer, Kerry O’Callaghan, was pleased with the success of the event.

“In the Dhurga language, yuin banaan translates as ‘coming together’, so it was great to see students and their families unite together from different areas of the South Coast to celebrate and embrace their culture.”

The event began with a smoking ceremony and Welcome to Country in Dhurga language, led by Eurobodalla Elder of the Year, Trish Ellis. Attendees were presented with red headbands to wear throughout the day as a sign of respect to the land and its peoples.

Students took part in a number of traditional activities including ochre face painting, traditional dance workshops, damper making, Aboriginal art and a bush tucker and medicine walk.

Attendees sampled a range of traditional foods including locally sourced Ling fish and king prawns smoked on a coal barbeque and kangaroo sausages.

NAIDOC Artist of the Year, Wayne ‘Buddy’ Martin was also in attendance, working with students to create a five-piece mural. At the end of the event, each school took one piece back to display in their school as a symbol of unity and respect between Catholic schools on Yuin Country.

There were also a number of stalls showcasing services within the local community, including police, ambulance and fire rescue services who gave demonstrations to students throughout the day.

Representatives from the ACT Brumbies travelled from Canberra to run rugby union workshops with students.

The closing ceremony consisted of a traditional dance performance performed by students and Jordan Nye, Eurobodalla Shire Council Community Project Officer.