A new dreaming garden and yarning circle will connect Benalla students with the region’s cultural heritage and offer an array of learning opportunities.

On Tuesday, November 19, Benalla’s Flexible Learning Centre held a grand opening of its new Aboriginal Yarning Circle and Dreaming Garden, which was envisioned, planned and created by students.

The centre’s Celine Forster said the garden had been a collaborative effort with students from its Year 11 and 12 VPC program, as well as its Hands On Learning program.

“It spans 50 metres, with the design being in the shape of the long-necked turtle — the totem for the Yorta Yorta people,” Ms Forster said.

“Our Koorie students have driven the project with Aboriginal student, and project manager, C.J. Heffer, leading the project.”

Ms Forster said C.J. was also on hand to support Winton Wetland’s Koorie cultural officer Nikki James, who was invited to hold a traditional smoking ceremony and open the installation.

“CJ has been working out on Winton Wetlands with Nikki doing an active volunteering program, and work experience, to learn and connect with her culture and heritage.

“The Koorie students have also connected with Taungurung Aboriginal artist and cultural educator Sammy Trist to connect with their artistic and cultural understanding by creating a large mural telling the story of this ‘complimentary educational space’, with a collaborative design that the Koorie students have put on to board and unveiled on the day.”

Students prepared food for the opening with the help of restaurateur and VET hospitality trainer Craig Robinson from Ella Goose.

They also provided barista-made coffee for the guests on the day

Teacher and Marrung lead at the Flexible Learning Centre Katie Roscoe said students had done an amazing job transforming the area.

“It’s been a huge amount of work,” she said.

“We used to have an old playground here, but we ripped that all out and made this wonderful garden.

“And we have the yarning circle garden and the fire pit that has been made with the help of all the students.

“And now we have a space where we can do some more learning about cultural history.”

The project was run with the help of three grants: an Advance Grant to create the garden from the Victorian Department of Education, a Stepping Stone Grant for the artwork and a Social Inclusion Grant to host the opening.

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