Headspace for dreaming

APPLAUSE filled headspace Bendigo’s foyer last week as a new mural painted by local Indigenous artists Emily and Josie Gower was unveiled to coincide with NAIDOC week.

The coloured piece is the result of a collaboration between the two Palawa Trawlwoolway women and is an expression of their respect to elders in the community.

“For us personally, we are so grateful for the elders who have shared their knowledge and continue to share their knowledge as we grow,” the pair said.

“The coloured circles at the top represent everyone, each circle has a series of lines and dots that represents the struggles and challenges that they have incurred.

“The dots represent the teachings that they have been taught and have passed down from generation to generation.”

Inspiration for the mural is credited to a workshop run by headspace with Bendigo Senior Secondary College that’s part of the organisation’s national Take a Step campaign.

The program provides resources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people and connects them with headspace services.

During the workshop First Nations students from BSSC were invited to do a walkthrough of the headspace office on Pall Mall.

Sue Pickles, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander program coordinator at BSSC thanked the students for their participation, which led to ideas about how to improve the cultural safety and make the space more welcoming.

A smoking ceremony and unveiling of a second mural took place at the high school earlier in the day.