A new and special area was officially opened to coincide with Rocky Hall Preschool’s 30th birthday last week.
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Bega Valley Shire mayor Kristy McBain joined the children, parents and preschool directors past and present to light the first official fire at the centre’s new Yarning Circle.
Preschool director Jodie Dickinson said last year Rocky Hall Preschool embarked on a journey to embed an Aboriginal perspective into their curriculum and to establish and maintain respectful, meaningful and lasting partnerships with the local Aboriginal community.
“The preschool’s remote location lends itself to adopting an Indigenous perspective that is relevant and meaningful to the children,” Ms Dickinson said.
In 2016 the centre received a community outreach grant that allowed them to facilitate visits from the local Indigenous community to share cultural actives, and language learning.
Ms Dickinson said the children loved the new program and had established meaningful relationships with a number of local Indigenous community members including Aileene Blackburn, Aboriginal language teacher Noeleen Lumby and Chelsy Atkins and Nathan Lygon.
As part of continuing the program the centre built a Yarning circle and fire pit.
“The circle has provided an inclusive space to learn and share culture, stories and knowledge with the local Indigenous community,” Ms Dickinson said.
As part of the celebrations the youngsters listened to a story about the Rocky Hall Preschool written by former director Di Whittock.
The story spoke of a grey cloud of sadness settling over the centre that seeped into the hearts of the children, their families and their leaders.
It spoke of the Yarning circle and fire pit and said “as the flames reached upwards they caught the edge of that grey cloud and it was sucked back down into the fire and lifted from all of their hearts”.
When lighting the fire in front, Mayor McBain said she was very impressed the preschool’s program.
“I think it’s really important that we instill in our kids stories of the traditional owners of the land at a young age so they grow up with it and it becomes part of our community and part of our learnings,” she said.
