West Moreton Anglican College is a national educational leader in empowering every student with the knowledge of Australia’s whole history including exposure to the 65,000-year-old wisdom of First Nations Australians.

The College employs full-time Indigenous Perspectives Learning Innovator Phyllis Marsh, who spearheads the College’s strategic vision to ensure a thorough embedding of spiritual and cultural histories to develop students’ knowledge and enhance educational outcomes.



WestMAC will host a student exhibition and festival to celebrate this month’s NAIDOC Week featuring language and artwork, highlighted by a special map designed by students Abbey and Hudson Ward, paying homage to their nanna Nida Lowe (nee Wilson) (1932-2009).



In 1942 Abbey and Hudson’s grandmother was one of 95 Aboriginal children from an orphanage on Croker Island, who were led to safety from Japanese air attacks by an Australian missionary in an extraordinary wartime feat.



Missionary Margaret Somerville led the 5000 km exodus from their Arafura Sea-island home, crossing what became Kakadu National Park, before travelling from Pine Creek in the Top End to Alice Springs through to Sydney.



Somerville’s service to young Aboriginal people was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II when she was named a Member of the British Empire and became the first Australian woman to be presented with the Battle of Australia medallion, in 1991.



Abbey (Year 7) and Hudson (Year 12) are part of a traditional oral performance, having learnt words from their grandmother’s dialect Wambaya.



“My nanna would have been really proud of me doing this project and my mum is really happy,’’ Abbey said. “It’s been really cool, to be given time every week to learn more about my family heritage and to work on the assignment. It’s helped me to learn more about who I am especially having someone like Mrs Marsh to make the learning experience more enjoyable.



“Having received the opportunity at WestMAC to learn more about our ancestors, I now care about my Indigenous culture and heritage.’’



Abbey and Hudson have embraced weekly access to indigenous cultural lessons with Mrs Marsh, learning more about their grandmother’s heritage as members of WestMAC’s Ngari Leadership Program.



“Mrs Marsh leads us on nature walks around the College, showing us how the bark on certain trees was used as medicine, food and all sorts of thing, which is giving us a full experience of the ancient indigenous culture,’’ Abbey said. “Learning how aboriginal people lived without modern technology thousands of years ago gives us a great perspective today.’’

Stephanie Smith, Year 10, said participating in cultural indigenous activities “helped me to understand things from a new perspective and this shapes how I look at the world’’.



“In STEM, Mrs Marsh came in and talked about the ancient engineering of Indigenous Australians. We looked at different ancient Indigenous designs, and then had a project where we had to look at the pillars necessary to hold up a structure.’’



Phyllis Marsh believes West Moreton Anglican College is a leader in educating Indigenous Perspectives so comprehensively in the curriculum, led by the vision of Principal Geoff McLay.



Phyllis works with every WestMAC Leader of Learning to ensure a thorough embedding of Indigenous Perspectives in the curriculum including through sporting endeavours.



It’s every Australian student’s educational right to learn about the history of our nation including an ancient wisdom which is 65,000 years old. Mr McLay said that as a community WestMAC is proud and humbled to offer every College student authentic opportunity, to understand and reflect cultural beliefs and values.



For more information:

West Moreton Anglican College Senior Marketing and Communications Officer

Fiona Purdon

P:07 3813 4518 and M: 0429 491 335