Emanuel School links with Gunawirra

Links within links with Gunawirra

Via different contacts and routes, different sections of the School have made connections with Gunawirra, a not-for-profit organisation that runs a number of ventures to support mainly Aboriginal stakeholders in NSW. This is a lovely complement to our relationship with the Jilkminggan community in the Northern Territory.

The Kornmehl Pre-school has been involved with Gunawirra since 2013, when the organisation and its work were first introduced through Donna Manoy. Donna is a psychologist and one of our fabulous parents, who facilitates one of the young mothers’ groups that provides essential support and connection to women in the community. The Kornmehl teachers and parents enthusiastically supported this signature program and others involving young pregnant Aboriginal women and mums with newborn babies. Kornmehl staff, parents and students initiated the Care Pack program four years ago. During this time, over 3900 packs of essential items have been donated.

This year, the drive is on to collect 600 Baby Packs. The goal is to meet with every pregnant Aboriginal woman in the regions served and give her a full pack of essential items for the baby and herself, in readiness for the birth.

So that Kornmehl students could experience a different dimension of painting, and another connection to the organisation and what it represents, they worked with Graham Toomey, a renowned Aboriginal artist and cultural advisor to Gunawirra, to create their own story.

The Specialist Learning Centre’s (SLC’s) contact with Gunawirra is via their network of 32 pre-schools in Sydney and regional areas of NSW. Since 2015, the SLC has collected and donated toys, games and books for distribution throughout that network.

The Gunawirra pre-schools also act as meeting places for the broader community, so the Jewish Studies Department partnered with the SLC to collect and donate items for older students. This formed part of the Tikkun Olam program (Repairing the World) that is a foundational element of Jewish Studies at Emanuel and part of the more general Emanuel ethos. The most beautiful and interesting games, construction sets, books and other tools to promote cognitive development throughout the age ranges were presented to Graham Toomey, in a happy event, as can be seen in some of the photos.

Graham Toomey with students and teachers filling his station wagon with toys, games and books

Micah and Saskia Esra with some of the toys they donated from their personal collections and some materials excess to school needs

Many students, parents and teachers in both Primary and High schools have cleared their cupboards and gift drawers so that car-loads of goods have reached new users. A clear-out of some of the school storerooms also yielded materials for art, drama and enjoyable mayhem.

We are excited to be able to support Gunawirra’s amazing work through our involvement in all these programs and projects. We thank all those who have helped us to contribute to the important work of those involved in Gunawirra’s attempt to break life-cycles of transgenerational and other trauma and poverty, by their work in inner suburbs of city and country areas in NSW.

As we connect to our Jewish heritage and the happiness and trauma this engenders for different sectors, and what this brings to our broader Australian heritage, so we are involved in the connection with what Gunawirra brings to both the pride and enduring heritage of Aboriginal communities and the healing of the trauma of their losses of country, culture and spirituality.