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Pole-painting
for Jayden: With Thanks to Members of the Koori Community in Mildura!
Jayden lives in the Victorian country
town of Mildura and he has low vision. Jayden was having difficulties seeing
the poles around the school, which were painted a beige colour, the same colour
as the school buildings.
So Jayden's integration aide and the school's
koori aide came up with a plan ... to paint the poles so that Jayden would
be able to see them.
Local koori artist, Wade Smith, was invited
to design and paint the poles. Contrasting colours of blue, white, green,
orange and red were chosen so that the poles would be easier to see.
The project involved several of the koori
students from the school and Jayden - and the outcome is fantastic!
Below: Artist Wade Smith blowing paint around Jayden's hand.
Here is what artist Wade Smith had to say about the design:
As you see in the paintings there are 21 footprints.
These represent three stages of life.
The first stage or first seven steps are from birth to seven years.
That's the time of life when you get the love and protection from your parents.
The first seven years of schooling when you learn your A,B,C's and 1,2,3.
The second stage or next seven steps is where the young boys are taken
out
for initiations, to learn how to hunt, be brave and are introduced to their
tribal grounds.
In school it is when the students move into secondary schooling and where
they start to develop the skill and understanding of how to aim for a career
and to set-up their lives.
The third stage and last seven steps are when the young boys turn into
men.
When they start their own families and have to provide, protect and teach
them about the first stage of seven steps.
At school this is when students step into university and set their goals
so they can go into the workforce and provide, protect and teach their children
the stages of life.