Cultural Connections
BONNIE LEE
This year has been an exciting and significant one for the Koori Group at The Lakes. Our students have engaged in meaningful cultural learning, community connection, and creative expression that has strengthened both personal identity and our whole-school commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives. The highlights of the year have been our Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony, led by Aunty Zeta, Simone and Nicole Thomson, guiding us to set intentions for the year ahead and our care and connection to Country. Another was our visit to the Dreamtime Expo at the Maurice Rioli Centre, where students experienced a showcase of culture, creativity, and inspiration from across First Nations communities. Another memorable moment was attending Bangarra’s Illume performance at The Arts Centre, which left our group in awe of the storytelling power of dance and the way it connects culture, history, and contemporary expression. Closer to home, our Koori Group has proudly contributed to the College identity through design and language. Students worked collaboratively to create the design for the new Indigenous polo tops, which will be included on
the 2026 uniform list — a lasting symbol of pride, culture, and visibility for our community. We also celebrated the launch of our new House names in Woi-wurrung language, further embedding local culture into our everyday school life. To complement this, our College values of Learning, Leadership, Teamwork, and Respect were translated into Woi-wurrung, ensuring they are expressed and lived in ways that honour Country and culture. Yayal = Blue House = meaning - Rain Biik = Green House = meanng - Ground Bial = Red House = meaning- Red Gum Ngawan = Yellow House = meaning - Sun Respect - gahgook Teamwork/working together - murmuk gadhaba Leadership/Elder - nanggit Learning - yagilaith The achievements of the Koori Group this year have left a lasting impact across the College. Through their leadership, creativity, and cultural pride, they have helped our school community continue the journey of truth-telling, respect, and reconciliation, inspiring all of us to live out our College motto: Aspire to Inspire.
The Lakes South Morang College offers a program for Indigenous students called the Koori Program, which includes many fun and interesting activities. Last year, for example, we cooked kangaroo damper with the help of former staff member Jemimah, who guided us and helped build the Koori Program into something we all looked forward to. The program makes sure everyone feels comfortable, even giving students the opportunity to bring a friend so that we can relax, have fun, and fully participate. One of the highlights has been designing our new Koori uniforms, which all members helped to create. We began this project in 2023 with support from that year’s Year 12 students — Jakson, Chloe, and Maddie — who have since graduated but continue to stay involved and contribute to the program. There’s always something enjoyable to do — whether it’s sport, art, or simply talking and getting to know people from other year levels. The Koori Program has helped make sure that no one feels alone and that everyone has someone to talk to when they need support. - Milly R Year 8 & Aubrey H Year 5
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