NSW Ports has helped Warrawong Public School install a yarning circle and native garden with First Nations artworks to connect students and the community while building cultural knowledge.
The funding formed part of NSW Ports’ 2022 Community Grants program, which supported diverse groups delivering positive outcomes in the areas of community participation, community infrastructure and the environment and sustainability.
NSW Ports Communications Manager Brooke Eggleton said the grants program was one way in which the business was able to give back to Illawarra communities and support positive, inclusive initiatives.
“Warrawong Public School was one of 17 groups to benefit from our 2022 grants program, which supported meaningful projects in the local communities surrounding our ports and intermodal terminals,” Ms Eggleton said.
“Port Kembla has a deep connection to the Illawarra that’s endured for more than a hundred years and, to this day, 99 per cent of the port’s workforce live locally. Our local community plays an integral role in maintaining port operations that contribute so much to the state.
“Warrawong Public School has done a spectacular job creating a beautiful sandstone yarning circle, which is a cultural learning space where everyone across the school and local community can come together to connect, communicate and collaborate.”
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have been using yarning circles for thousands of years. They are a meeting place where people sit together to tell stories, share experiences, educate one another and build respectful relationships.
Warrawong Public School’s grant enabled them to build a yarning circle with sandstone seats and possum skin covers, which is surrounded by a native garden. First Nations interpretive signage helps people identify plants and their usage, alongside murals and artworks by a local Indigenous artist – while QR codes link to educational materials created by students and the local community.
Warrawong Public School teacher and Permaculture Coordinator Ben Anderson said the school was proud to have created a wonderful space in which students, teachers, and the community can gather, learn together and strengthen their connections.
“This project is already improving the well-being of our students and school community, especially for our more than 60 First Nations students, by developing and supporting cultural knowledge and pride,” Mr Anderson said.
“It’s also fostering a sense of sustainability, curiosity and care for the local environment by reconnecting everyone involved and everyone who now visits, with their sense of place. I thank NSW Ports for their contribution that’s helped us make this project such a success.”
For media inquiries, contact:
Brooke.Eggleton@nswports.com.au | 0419 684 953