General News
1 May, 2024
Stories preserved
A GROUP of Timboon P-12 School students can now consider themselves published authors.
Last Wednesday marked the official launch of ‘Curdies’ Tales: Stories of the river by its people’.
Timboon P-12 School Timboon Agriculture Project (TAP) co-ordinator Andrea Vallance congratulated all involved in the book launch.
“The genesis for the Curdies’ Tales publication was after a 2022 Community Connections project instigated by Sarah Whitworth for her Year 7/8 humanities students,” she said.
“Students interviewed 16 people from the Timboon and District Healthcare Social Support Group and the Timboon Mens’ Shed and published individualised books about the lives of their interviewees.
“By exploring the experiences of other people, students hopefully learnt more about themselves, developed their writing skills, learnt more about themselves, developed their writing skills, learnt about the history of the local area, felt more connected to the community, made new friends and left a legacy.”
Mrs Vallance said against a backdrop of wanting to raise awareness, encourage locals to be interested and to take some responsibility for the health of the river, the Curdies River Catchment Alliance (CRCA) was formed in 2022.
She said Kate Leslie, on behalf of CRCA, contacted Timboon P-12 School to see if teachers would be interested in recording local stories and memories of the Curdies River.
“At Timboon P-12, we needed to find a home, or a relevant curriculum link for this collection of oral histories and Wakesy graciously nominated her 2023 First Semester Year 9 Humanities students,” Mrs Vallance said.
“In May 2023, to contexualise this project, we undertook a field trip to the Curdies estuary at Peterborough to help our students get a sense of time and place as they prepared to record and publish the oral histories of people who live, work and relax in the Curdies River catchment area.”
While at the estuary, Ms Leslie introduced the project and detailed recent algal blooms, fish kills and stock deaths which led to the formation of the CRCA.
Students rotated through a number of work stations with the support of CRCA members and Corangamite Catchment Management Authority representatives who provided their perspectives of the vital waterway.
“Our wonderful community responded when invitations were issued requesting that people with connections to the Curdies catchment area come forward to be interviewed by students,” Mrs Vallance said.
“In May/June 2023, great conversations were held between students and community members, with guests sharing personal accounts, photos, books, memories, models and resources.
“Students discovered more about their world; hearing stories of floods, tin ketlings, fishing, the lime works, swimming lessons, fish hotels, wildlife, the pranks played by children as well as the excitement of watching poachers at night with some wonderful narratives shared and enjoyed.
“After recording our guests’ stories, students were left with the realisation that the Curdies River catchment area is like the lungs of a sensitive ecosystem, breathing life into the land around it.”
Mrs Vallance said it was hoped a better understanding of the science and the social histories of the Curdies catchment would help inspire improved stewardship and greater protection of this “fragile bionetwork for future generations”.
“Thank you to those who inspired this task, our students, our interviewees, those who provided written submissions and to everyone who has supported this project in anyway,” she said.
