19 Feb 2024
We are proud to present our new sporting house designs for Heathcote High School.
The redesign was a student-led initiative which began at the end of 2022 when students participating in the Interdisciplinary Project (IDP) came up with the idea to include our Dharawal heritage into our sporting houses. From there we have worked closely with the Aboriginal community to realise the students’ idea.
Our students, both Aboriginal and non-indigenous participated in a variety of workshops with community members to select the totems and design new logos that are unique to our school and the Country we are on. Miss Webster developed these designs into the final designs, shown below.
While still keeping the original school’s history of the four flowers – Bluebell, Banksia, Wattle and Waratah, we have incorporated animal totems in Dharawal language.
Bluebell has a totem of Bumbayan (bowerbird)
Banksia has a totem of Djarungali (green tree frog)
Wattle has a totem of Yumbayumba (white cockatoo)
Waratah has a totem of Mundha (black snake)
A special thank you to all those members of the local Aboriginal community who have helped guide our school in the process including Graeme Avery, Karen Armstrong, Bree Knapp, Aunty Calita, and our Aboriginal Education Officer, Amy Cousins.
