Film wins Yarnup award

Students from the Brisbane Water Secondary College Local Management Group were joint winners in the aboriginal education outreach program Yarnup for their short film about a local dreamtime story.

The local group received equal first place in the program with Mudgee High School.

Yarnup encourages Australian students to engage with their local Indigenous community through friendship.

The Yarnup program is based upon students watching the Australian documentary film Kanyini before participating in an outdoors excursion with local Aboriginals to learn more about the local area and culture.

To conclude the program students were then asked to submit a visual document which showed the growing friendship between the community and the school.

Brisbane Water Secondary College Local Management Group submitted the short film about the local dreamtime story Tedagilicupo as part of the project.

The film explored the importance of working together as a community in reflection of what the Peninsula schools did as part of the Yarnup program.

Brisbane Water Secondary College principal Mr Stephen Harris said the focus behind Yarnup was to get the local Aboriginal community involved with educating all Australians about Aboriginal Australia.

"The Aboriginal students from all of the Brisbane Water learning community were invited to attend an exploration excursion as part of the program," Mr Harris said.

"The students were shown Aboriginal sites dating back 9000 years.

"Local elders also provided information on the flora and fauna.

"Each school also held special Aboriginal events.

"These events culminated in the making of a film which tells the story of Tedagilcupo - The Toad, who unites his community through cooperation.

"The film features our students attending excursions, creating artworks and interacting with local elders and community members."

Mr Harris said the film premiered at Brisbane Water Secondary College to a packed audience and was "extremely well received".

"At the conclusion Steve Collins of Woy Woy South Public School informed the audience that the Brisbane Water entry had been awarded equal first place in New South Wales for the film," Mr Harris said.

"This is a fabulous achievement for all people of the Peninsula."

Press release, 18 Nov 2008 Stephen Harris, Brisbane Water Secondary College