Published on: 23 May 2019




It was a special start to the week for our Pre-Primary boys who welcomed Aboriginal Elder Leonard Thorne to share dreamtime stories at the School’s River Precinct.

On the banks of Freshwater Bay, the boys learnt about Indigenous culture and traditions. Roni Forrest from the Association of Independent Schools of Western Australia (AISWA) also spoke with the boys on how Aboriginal people lived in the past.

“This was a special opportunity for the boys to hear first-hand from people who lived in the bush and how it is very different to how our students live today,” explains Pre-Primary Teacher, Ms Misty Waters.

“The experience supports the Pre-Primary History unit of Inquiry and teaches the boys how stories can be passed down from generation to generation.”

“They heard stories about how the Indigenous people lived in huts, travelled the land through the six seasons and hunted for their food.”

As the storytelling unfolded, the boys were mesmerised by the variety of artefacts that Indigenous people used for daily survival.

“I was surprised there were two kinds of boomerangs. One kind was for frightening the animals and the other was for whacking them,” says Pre-Primary student, Henry.

Fellow student Daniel commented, “I liked seeing the hand-made spears. They used these to kill kangaroos for food.”

The Pre-Primary boys look forward to hearing family stories and teachings from our Years 11 and 12 Indigenous students as part of the next stage of this unit.