General News
7 March, 2024
Native garden for Noorat Primary
MANY hands made light work when students united with an Aboriginal co-operative to plant native flora in a new sensory garden last week.
Noorat Primary School students welcomed Worn Gundidj Nursey to the school last Thursday for a day of learning and planting.
The project was funded through the Woolworths Junior Landcare Grants, and aims to replenish the school garden with native plants to support habitats for wildlife and increase sustainability.
“The grant has enabled us to dig deeper into our local history and information by working with Worn Gundidj Nursery,” principal Ilona Watkins said.
“We had students go to the nursery last year to look at the different plants and learn all about the bush tucker.
“Now we’re taking that knowledge, with the expertise of Worn Gundidj Nursery, to plant our sensory garden full of native Indigenous plants.
“We want them to be able to make those connections, and see the native plants hopefully bring additional animals to the area as well.”
Mrs Watkins said students had been involved in the process from researching, designing, purchasing, planting and caring for the Indigenous garden through engaging practical education.
“The students have been a part of this from the get-go,” she said.
“Our goal was for them to take ownership of this process, and know it had been their achievement from start to finish.
“We tie in Aboriginal perspectives in a lot of the things we do; acknowledging country and our connection to country.
“We want to make that part of normal, everyday life so our students have that knowledge and history as they grow up.”
Worn Gundidj Nursey assistant Emily Innes said, as an Indigenous woman with a background in early childhood education, she through the students at Noorat Primary School had been “absolutely brilliant” with the desire to learn more and help out in the garden.
“We chose most of the plants all based off what can be harvested and used in the kitchen,” she said.
“It’s a fully Indigenous native garden - with grasses, all types of heights and varieties of bush foods such as Muntries, which is like a sour Apple, Pepperberry trees and Mint Balm bushes.
“These are native, traditional and provide a lot of different ways for the students to use them.
“I love getting to come and spend time with the kids, being able to help them. It’s a different type of feeling, you feel very accomplished getting to help students.”