Acknowledgment of Country
It is a privilege for the Melville Senior High School community to be on Whadjuk Noongar country since 1960.
We acknowledge the contributions of Aboriginal Australians to the education of all children and people in this country we all live in and share together.
We respectfully acknowledge the Traditional Owners of this land, the Whadjuk people of the Noongar nation and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and sky and the spiritual rainbow serpent, the Wagyl.
We also acknowledge all other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people throughout this country, and pay our respects to Elders past, and present.
Our Connection to Country
Willagee Boodjar continues to be spiritually important to the Whadjuk Noongar people. It is traditionally important as the ochre is particularly red and is a large breeding ground for wetj, emu.
The traditional people not only ate the wetj and their eggs when carefully blown, but the shell was carved and skins and feathers used for clothing and decorations. Utensils were also made from emu bones.
Artwork storylines
Kevin Bynder, Whadjuk-Yuet Nyungar and Widi-Badimia Yamatji artist from the Kimberely region in Western Australia designed the artwork to show connections to our school and community.
The Southern Cross in the sky, represents guidance. Aboriginal people used the Southern Cross the guide them at night as a compass when travelling.
The circle in the middle represents community and connection to our school. The arch symbol and straight line around the circle represents the students.
The wavy triangles represents the winds of change, the students who have come and gone from Melville over the years.
Artwork along the bottom corners represents the hills around Melville and the Darling Range which is the body and final resting place of the Wagyl Rainbow Serpent.
