Nih, Kaartdijin, Birdya (Listen, Learn, Lead) is the motto that guides Mosman Park Primary School in Perth. They put these three words into practice as they went on an in-depth truth-telling journey that celebrated the heroism and culture of the Noongar people.
It started with a letter from a student to the school principal about the name of her school sports faction. The school nih (listened) to her concerns about it being named after Captain James Stirling. He was a colonial administrator who helped to establish the Swan River Colony in 1829.
He was also a violent oppressor of Aboriginal people, leading an attack against the Bindjareb Noongar people, now known as the Pinjarra Massacre.
The school administration had already been thinking about this, but the student’s letter was a catalyst for action. It sparked a process that would change many aspects of the school.
The school then kaartdijin (learned) together about the full story of Captain James Stirling and of their local area.
The student council researched the history of the area. Through the act of looking into the past, they learned about Noongar history, people and places that are important to the community. They tried to see their area and its past from Aboriginal perspectives.
An old name, a new identity
The student council researched new names for the sports faction that would acknowledge the past and encourage reconciliation.
They presented what they found during their search to the whole school. They talked about the spiritual and historical significance for Aboriginal communities and about the courage of Aboriginal heroes past.
Pamela Chatfield, Associate Principal of the school, reflects, ‘It’s important that our kids know what we didn’t learn when we were kids. That’s why we’re so passionate about it. We weren’t taught reconciliation. We weren’t taught true history. And now we’re going to rectify that.’
The next step was to birdya (lead). By taking a stand and making the necessary changes, Mosman Park showed other schools that it was possible to change the way things are done – that there’s a better way.
Students and teachers were invited to vote on what the new name for the sports factions would be. The story of Fanny Balbuk got the most votes.
Fanny’s story
Fanny was a strong Aboriginal woman who protested against the settler occupation of her land in the 1800s – the very area where Stirling had set up a colony and committed acts of terrible violence.
She is reported to have walked through colonists houses and yards if they lay in her way, refusing to recognise their authority on her land.
‘She would go to what is Government House and in Noongar call out saying, “You’re standing on the graves of my Ancestors, get off!”,’ says Whadjuk Ballardon Noongar custodian Ingrid Cumming in an interview with the National Indigenous Times.
‘It was literally like camping at Fremantle Cemetery for her, you know, it was where her grandparents were laid to rest.
‘What she was trying to do was say that there are ways to do things and you’re just being arrogant to it, so I guess in her way she was saying, “I’m not going to respect your fences, I’m not going to comply because you’re not listening to me so we can move forward together”.’
It makes me feel proud because people recognise Aboriginal culture... we're sharing it all around WA
Following Fanny’s example
Recognising Fanny Balbuk at the school amplified this incredible story of a woman courageously and tenaciously standing up for her culture and her people.
One Aboriginal student was proud to see how the project took off amongst her peers, leading to the school being a finalist in the Reconciliation Australia’s Narragunnawali Awards.
‘It makes me feel proud because people recognise the Aboriginal culture,’ she says. ‘I find it really nice that people want to learn about the Aboriginal culture and the fact we’re sharing it all around WA and it might go even further is really special for our school.’
The school held a design competition for the new sports faction symbol. An Aboriginal student created the winning design of a bibjool (gecko). This took the house name from Stirling Stars to ‘Balbuk Bibjool’.
It was such a success that it prompted the school to recreate the rest of the logos for the houses with the new designs by a parent – who is also an Aboriginal woman and artist.
Language of the Land
Mosman Park’s journey continues with a new whole of school logo to celebrate community. It drew its apt motto ‘Listen, Learn and Lead’ from keywords that structured its Reconciliation Action Plan vision.
Collaborating with an Elder who was on the school board, the motto words were translated into the first language of the area.
And all the children now also proudly sing the school song in Noongar language, bringing a personal connection to country and culture every day.
‘We now have instead of Stirling House, we have Balbuk House. Our logo has the river and the sea in the trunk of the tree and the green represents the fig tree that is at the centre of our school. In the leaves of the tree is our community,’ says Pamela.
‘We’re changing a lot of the way we do things, because it’s important to us that we incorporate the full history of our school.’
The school truly embraced the opportunity to acknowledge the past and make meaningful changes in partnership with the community. In the process the whole school community got involved with reconciliation and truth-telling.
They truly nih, kaartdijin and birdya actions that defy the colonial standard, just like their hero Fanny Bulbuk.
