A series of documentary films of First Nations role models in Walgett and at the Australian Museum in Sydney. Made by high school students from Walgett Community College, Walgett, NSW with the support of Show Me The Way.
Walgett Community College Head Teacher Teaching and Learning Jenadel Lane and Aboriginal Education Officer Patti Walford talk about education and how they enjoy living in Walgett, NSW.
Laura says of her position at the Australian Museum, “It’s an important role because for a long time Aboriginal people haven’t represented themselves in these spaces and it’s incredibly important that Aboriginal culture and Aboriginal history is told by Aboriginal people”.
One of Phil’s roles at the Australian Museum is to undertake the repatriation of ancestrial remains to their community. “Historically ancestral remains were taken away from all over Australia and shipped overseas and also to interstate museums. The return of ancestral remains to Aboriginal communities is hugely important to those communities and to the spirit of Australia ”.
With a Bachelor of Science majoring in Biology, Renee now works in the Australian Museum in Indigenous education programs. She brings her cultural knowledge and her science education to help with her work teaching high school and university students her culture.
Walgett Community College Teacher Kaylene Hall and School Learning Support Officer Rebecca Trindall talk about teaching the local Aboriginal language to the students. Kaylene says, “We teach all the family words, we teach colours, landscape, geography, everything”.
Ricco works at the Walgett AMS (Aboriginal Medical Centre) as a Drug and Alcohol Health Worker and is proud of the work that is done there. AMS has changed the local community because its approach to health is holistic and not dealing with a band-aid treatment.
The Australian Museum houses a collection of over 20,000 cultural objects with a varied and vast history. One of the main aspects of Sharni’s role is to engage the Aboriginal community in objects that are important to them in ways museums would not have traditionally engaged them.
Sophia works at the Walgett Comm unity Gardens as a horticulturist. She believes in healthy eating incorporating a lot of vegetables in what she grows. Living in Walgett now for over 43 years she loves the place.