The Hunter Water Story Project emerged from Hunter Water’s Education Program. Its aim was to collaborate with local Aboriginal communities to produce a story that teaches the children of the Lower Hunter the value of water for both our community and the environment. Aboriginal educator Deirdre Heitmeyer and Aboriginal artist Saretta Fielding facilitated a series of workshops with Aboriginal students from Newcastle High School to develop a new water story, drawing on traditional wisdom, that shares their understanding of the sacred value of water and the community’s responsibility to care for it. This was brought to life by Creative Industries students at Studio Zed illustrating and designing the book.
Hunter Water’s Education Coordinator, Kristy Ratcliffe, worked closely with project manager, Dr Kathryn Grushka, Centre for the Study of Research Training and Impact (SORTI)at the University of Newcastle, and members of the Awabakal and Worimi communities to see the project realised. The project culminates in in October 2020 with an exhibition to showcase the collaborative processes involved in the creation of the story and launch of the outcome of the project, a children’s picture book called Where’s Our Water?
Image: Hunter Water Story Project: a story about the need to save water set in Awabakal and Worimi Lands by students from Newcastle High School
Museum of Art and Culture Lake Macquarie, 1A First Street, Booragul 2284 View in Google Maps
1A First Street , Booragul 2284