BY DYLAN DE JONG 

An art project aimed at connecting First Nations students in Ararat will feature at a major aboriginal and cultural event in 2022. 

Ararat College Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students have created a ‘larger-than-life’ yellow-tailed black cockatoo crafted entirely out of scrap material.  

Natimuk artist Dave Jones, metalwork teacher Chris Reynolds and indigenous master weaver Aunty Bronwyn Razem led the students in creating the piece for the Lake Bolac Eel Festival. 

College First Nations co-ordinator Tahni Skewes said students learnt how to craft, weld and assemble through the process of creating the giant cockatoo.  

She said the project provided the school’s indigenous students with an opportunity to connect with culture. 

“Students love any opportunity to be involved in cultural activities,” she said. 

“It is such a big part of their identity and I feel it’s not celebrated as much as it should be.”

Ms Skewes said the cockatoo, a native bird to Mt Langi Ghiran south of Ararat, was culturally significant to the Djab Wurrung people – the Traditional Owner group of the area.

She said the project gave the students a chance to learn about the Djab Wurrung people’s culture. 

“It’s really important to provide students the opportunity to connect and discuss traditions and artworks – that’s such a big part of Aboriginal culture,” she said. 

The metal sculpture will link into Dave Jones’ larger art project, which has featured in the festival in past years. 

Jones has created two other large metal sculptures including an emu and brolga.

“It’s an ongoing project. The sculptures are of birds you would typically see around the region at places like Lake Bolac and Mt Langi Ghiran,” Jones said. 

He said working with artists provided a ‘wonderful’ opportunity for the rural students to think more creatively while learning new skills.

“The kids might not have had an opportunity to get involved in this sort of project before where something they have collaborated on is featured in a festival,” he said. 

“Some students sourced the bits, some were welding, others were cutting the metal and other kids were doing the weaving aspect.”

The cockatoo is set to feature in the Lake Bolac festival in 2022, which was postponed earlier this year due to COVID-19. 

The eel festival links into an ancient cultural tradition of First Nations people gathering by Lake Bolac as they have done for thousands of years. 

Students are working with Aunty Bronwyn and Katja Nedoluha to weave and add colour, detail and texture to the cockatoo including its yellow feathers.  

 

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