Sally Lawrence

Many Threads Exhibit

I am continually moved by what I see, hear and learn out at the Ration Shed.  To date, I have run over 25 Education Tours out to the Ration Shed and each time, I learn something new.  However, the one thing that remains constant, is how emotionally challenging, yet rewarding the visits are.  

This trip saw a full bus with 50 people from various backgrounds and work places.  Child care Educators, Community members from Ipswich and Purga, Descendants of family from Cherbourg, Church groups, Teachers, General public, University students, Health professionals, you name it, the group was as dynamic as the ever changing displays.  One couple onboard said it was the 9th time they have come on tour with us, that’s right 9 times!!  They said they keep discovering different things each time they come and the exhibits change too – “We are never bored and we love seeing the Aunties and community”.

The exhibit that I personally focused on this trip was a new installation called “Many Threads”, which recounts the personal histories of women who were forced into a life of servitude, some as young as 14 being sent out to work on homesteads as slaves and domestics.  Personal accounts as well as those retold by the next generation captured what life was like “Under the Act”.  A common thread however was their resilience and determination to give their children a better life and opportunities than what they were afforded.

All aboard!!

Join me this Saturday at 7.30am for Cherbourg’s Ration Shed Museum with Aunty Honor Cleary and Uncle Marshall Saunders sharing their personal stories of growing up in Cherbourg and living under the Act.  The bus is nearly full, but you can still get last minute tickets by contacting Sarah on (07) 5459 9150 to book your seat on the bus. Tickets are $70 which includes Transport, Elders fees, all admissions to the Ration Shed Museum, Morning tea, 2 course Lunch and wine tasting at Moffatdale Ridge.  An amazing educational and professional experience that is a must for all.  We return by 6pm.  Check out my website for more information about the tours and click on the Ration Shed Tours icon to watch Channel 7’s Weekender program story on us.

Exciting things planned for in TPP106 class on Tuesday for Reconciliation Week.  Being the 3rd of June – Mabo Day, the topic is extremely relevant – The importance of Land and Sea for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.  Our topic is very broad to enable all students to take a different perspective i.e. health, education, justice, housing, native title.  

Our group of 25 students will partake in a simulation activity, somewhat like the SBS show INSIGHT.  I play the character Jenny Brockie, the host of the show and from the word go, I am on my toes.  Students come in character or in the role of a significant person.  Armed with their research, students must bring their relevant ‘researched character perspective’ to the very lively debate.  ‘Guests’ for tomorrow may include: Gina Rinehart, Uncle Bob Randall, John Pilger, Tony Abbott, Constance Petrie, Pauline Hanson, Arthur Phillip, Noel Pearson, just to name a few.

The 3 hour process is broken into 3 parts and is similar in part to a Yarning Circle.  First hour, students give their opening statement to identify their character and position/perspective.  In the second hour, the conversation crosses the floor (unlike a Yarning circle) and the characters engage and respond to each other statements.  Finally, the last hour allows the student to bring their perspective into a closing speech and reflect on how it was to play their character.   Some students play characters that are far removed from their personal standpoint and find this last hour important to get out of character and debrief.  I’m excited about this style of learning and will update you on how it all goes!!

Great modelled lessons this week at North Lakes State College, led by Donna Williams from North Coast Region Indigenous Education Unit.  Utilising the Iconic Songbooks, we worked with the Year 4 teachers on embedding these texts into their teaching program when explicitly teaching ‘inferencing’ to students. Usually, teachers would use other texts to teach the literacy skill of inferencing, this week, we encouraged them to use the Iconic songbooks instead.

The children’s inferencing responses blew me away.  They were highly respectful, insightful and responsive.  I love that Embedding Indigenous perspectives doesn’t have to be obvious or thematic, rather it can be through teaching literacy or historical skills where your stimulus or resource just happens to have an Indigenous focus.

Now I can add Rock Concert promoter to my CV!!

On the 1st of May, Neil Murray (founding member of the Warumpi Band, songwriter – My Island Home) played a concert at Mimburi, a 400 hectare property on the Mary River, Belli Park, with close to 100 people attending.  It was an amazing night with an amazing talent.  What started with Rain and Thunder (moomba), an amazing Welcome to Country by Aunty Beverly Hand and family, finished with an all in dance to My Island Home, complete with shake a leg. Neil was joined on drums by the multi-talented artist, Peter Hudson.

Through my network of contacts, I was able to organise this opportunity and present it to Aunty Beverly Hand, who straight away said “Go on then”.  The night came together easily with the help of community organisations like Kabbarli, the Maleny-Mimburi Connections, Mimburi Upper Mary Aboriginal Association and YindiArtz.  Michael Hand worked like a trojan horse to prepare the site for the evening.  Monies raised on the night enable Mimburi to continue to run the property and provide a space and programs for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.