Uncle Bill Smith, a Wirrigan Aboriginal Elder, visited the centre with his great grandsons Robert and Callan Briggs, for an hour-long presentation to the children as part of NAIDOC Week.

“Uncle Bill told the children some Dreamtime stories, including the story of Tiddalick the frog, and his great grandchildren acted out the story in dance,” the centre’s cultural and community co-ordinator, Stana Maslin, said.

The children handled boomerangs and clapping sticks, heard a didgeridoo played, and sampled  bushtucker.

Centre director Emily Woodger said the children were exposed to Aboriginal culture throughout the year, so were totally engaged in the presentation.

“We read a lot of Aboriginal stories to the children,” Ms Woodger said.

Earlier in the week, the children helped to make a humpy, and a fire, and were introduced to some native plants.

The children learned of the significance of fire in Aboriginal culture, and learned important fire safety lessons, too, Ms Woodger said.

“And this morning we made some damper. The children ate it and loved it,” she said.

When Robert and Callan used the didgeridoo to make animal noises, the children were fascinated and asked lots of questions.

Ms Maslin said it was important for the children to become aware of the historical and cultural links associated with Aboriginal culture.

“It’s part of Australian history, and NAIDOC Week is a time when we can really celebrate it and learn about it,” she said.

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