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Gallery | Gowrie St Primary School’s Aunties program

Best mates: Dahnell Bowden, Seth Macrae and Nashantha Gibbons. Photo by Amy DePaola

Gowrie St Primary School has fostered the development of culturally strong and confident children through its Aunties program, ensuring students are connected to their culture and identity.

Led by Yorta Yorta woman Aunty Lisa Lynch-Johnson, the Aunties program provides an invaluable opportunity for First Nations students to come together, learn, yarn and be creative.

Throughout term two, students have been engaged in crafting their own head-dresses, while also participating in art workshops and cultural education sessions facilitated by visiting Aunties.

Shepparton Koori services co-ordinator Tina King delighted students by bringing in a possum skin cloak.

She explained the significance of the cloak, recounting how babies were traditionally presented with a possum pelt at birth.

As the child grew, more pelts were added, and the cloak grew with them.

Artists Juldi Lynch-Jones and Raelene Harbrow have also worked with the students to create a number of artworks.

Originally run as a pilot program by the Greater Shepparton Lighthouse Project in 2022, Aunties has had an overwhelmingly positive response, prompting its integration as a permanent fixture in the Gowrie St Primary School timetable.

Check out some photos from the program.

Helping hand: Aunty Lisa helps Jernavah McCarthy with making her head-dress. Photo by Amy DePaola
All smiles: Amalia Morehu. Photo by Amy DePaola
Collaboration: Amalia Morehu, Shanti Gibbons, Realene Harbrow and Cavalli Atkinson. Photo by Amy DePaola
Hand-in-hand: Lomani Ratila-Atkinson. Photo by Amy DePaola
Tradition: Shepparton Koori Service co-ordinator Tina King explains the significance of the artwork on the possum skin cloak. Holding the cloak is Halo Joachim, Mia Morgan and Lailani Morehu Bamblett. Photo by Amy DePaola
Culture: Tyra Atkinson proudly wears her head-dress with the possum skin cloak. Photo by Amy DePaola
Beaming: Blaze Hapeta. Photo by Amy DePaola
Artistic: Mia Morgan works on one of the communal artworks. Photo by Amy DePaola
Painting: Christine Pedder. Photo by Amy DePaola
Hop, skip and a jump: Juldi Lynch-Jones, Coopar Mitchell and Lisa Lynch-Johnson add footprints. Photo by Amy DePaola
Beauty: Talisha Atkinson proudly displays her head-dress. Photo by Amy DePaola