Good Words and Good Deeds for Lakes

Students from Airly and Bundalaguah Primary Schools are working hard putting learning into action to care for the Gippsland Lakes.

Since being taught more about the Lakes’ environment and Indigenous cultural heritage the students have released two books of local adventures hoping to inspire other students to learn about and love the Lakes.

The students are doing much more than learning about the Lakes and were hard at work on National Tree Day working to improve the habitat of the area through tree planting natives at Heart Morass.

Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Member for Gippsland East, Tim Bull, joined the students to celebrate National Tree Day and launch their books. “You should all be proud of your work”, he told the students. “Your writing is making a real difference to our knowledge about the Lakes and your work today will help restore them for the future”, Mr Bull said.

School principal Brenda Talbot said, “The children had been inspired by participating in Gunaikurnai dance, tasting bush tucker, hearing Dreamtime stories as well as learning to throw a boomerang.”

The projects are all components of the The Lake Wellington Wetlands Love our Lakes program being delivered through Greening Australia. The program involves local landowners, community groups, Gunaikurnai Land and Waters crews and schools.

Greening Australia officer, Martin Potts said the support of Gunaikurnai elder Alfie Hudson and Artist Cassie Harrap in teaching the students about cultural heritage and sharing artefact making activities had been a crucial element in ensuring success.

“The Lake Wellington Wetlands program is local people learning about and restoring our wetland environment”, said Greening Australia officer, Martin Potts.

The projects are funded through the State Government’s Gippsland Lakes Environment Fund to support restoring the health of the Gippsland Lakes. The Gippsland Lakes Ministerial Advisory Committee advise Government on the allocation of the fund. Committee Chair, Mr Peter Veenker, said, “Projects like the Lake Wellington Wetlands program, initiated and supported by strong networks of local people, are delivering real benefits to the health of the Lakes’.

The children were assisted in the story writing by Kelly and Peter Coleman, of PeeKdesigns, who have helped several local schools write about different aspects of living around the Gippsland Lakes. The books will be circulated to schools and libraries through East Gippsland for use by students. You can read them online right here at the Enviro-Stories website.

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