THE Westdale Gems shone bright as they put Gamilaraay language centre stage at Close the Gap events recently.
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The Gems is a cultural group for Indigenous girls at Westdale Public School led by Aboriginal education officer Julie Fuller, learning language through song and daily practice.
Miss Fuller said the students thrive on the cultural education they’ve received through the school.
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“The kids are so enthusiastic to learn that sort of stuff, they thrive on it, they just love it,” she said.
Language is day-to-day practice at the school and Miss Fuller said the students should be able to continue their cultural studies when they move on to high school.
“We do it nearly everyday at school,” she said.
“There’s signs put up around the school.
“Teachers have resources, it’s just on a daily basis now.”
It’s a long way from what Miss Fuller remembers of her schooling.
“When I was a child, I never had the opportunity to do anything with our culture, we just learnt what the teachers taught us out of the books,” she said.
“We didn’t have any Aboriginal workers to help us in the schools.”
The Gems, originally known as the Westdale Sapphires, get a kick out of taking their learning into the community.
“They love going out in the community and performing and they love to learn it,” Miss Fuller said.
The girls sang “Lullaby” by Kelsey Strasek-Barker in Gamilaraay language at the Coledale Community Centre on Close the Gap Day.