SPORT HOUSES
In 2020, Bourke Street P.S engaged in a community project to rename our school houses in Sydney Aboriginal Language. These names demonstrate Bourke Street’s commitment to teaching, learning and celebrating Indigenous histories, culture and education. Through a series of ‘Indigenous Voice’ workshops involving Indigenous students and their families, and led by educator and local Aboriginal Elder Uncle Jimmy Smith, four new names were collaboratively devised:
Mulgu [meaning Black Swan] formerly Macquarie
Burra [meaning Eel] formerly Hunter
Ngura [meaning Country] formerly Wentworth
Gadi [meaning Grass Tree] formerly Phillip
The names represent a ‘connection to Country’; incorporating native plants, animals, land and water, and present opportunities for new classroom learning linked with the NSW Curriculum.
Students worked on developing logos for each house and we were enormously fortunate to have the collaboration of four high-profile Indigenous artists in this logo design project; Thea Perkins, Blak Douglas, Tony Albert and Keg de Souza. Students’ artworks were shared with these artists who then use them as guiding inspiration for the development of the four house logos for our new Houses.
