Old and new, cultures meet in a schools festival

Multiculturalism's big day in Woy Woy! It comes together next Tuesday at the Brisbane Water Secondary College senior campus (formerly Woy Woy High School), with three main components:

• End-of-year reports and awards from the Yarn Up project, in which indigenous people people guide primary and secondary students from Woy Woy peninsula schools through their country, and explain the first Australians' relationship to it.


• A visit by Uluru elder Uncle Bob Randall (pictured above) and filmmaker Melanie Hogan, producers of the film Kanyini, which was used to stimulate understanding and discussion at the start of the Yarn Up project.


• Ten students and five teachers from Granville Boys High School – a school well endowed with ethnic cultures – will complete a two-day walk raising funds for prostate cancer research.

When I watched the 53 minutes of Kanyini last April, it hit my emotional buttons so strongly I feared my comments would be over the top. But I've just re-read my April 8 post, Kanyini – understanding Aboriginal culture, and I wouldn't change a word.

In a letter seeking sponsorships, Granville Boys High School captain and vice captain Berhan and Dean Kassem said:

Our school reputation in not good at the moment and we want to change this. This reputation is portrayed throughout the media and is not accurate. We know that this image is created by such a small number of students but it affects all of us.

To improve the image of our school and to let the community know that there are many great students at Granville Boys High School we have organised a WALK FOR CHARITY event.

At the Woy Woy school, the Granville boys will perform an Arabic drumming routine and a Pacific Island dance. You may learn more from their post on EverydayHero.

Here on our Woy Woy peninsula, Yarn Up is a worthwhile project, and I expect to learn on Tuesday just how successful it has been.

With plenty of activities, plus a sausage sizzle, the festivities begin at noon next Tuesday, December 16. I understand visitors will be welcome. If you'd like to come along, call Steve Collins at 02 4341 1899 or Jo MacGregor at 02 4341 1600 by this Friday, December 12. I'm told the best entrance will be from Greene St.