Aspire Thornhill Park’s Little Long Walk
Posted December 11th 2024
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The community gathered for Aspire Thornhill Park’s Smoking Ceremony and Little Long Walk at the end of November. The event was a reflective time to acknowledge the land we work, play and grow on. Hosted by Craig and the team from The Long Walk, the children, educators, staff and community members learned about different aspects of First Nations history and traditions.
The Long Walk is a charity inspired by former Essendon Football Club great Michael Long's walk to Canberra, to get the lives of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people back on the national agenda. He highlighted Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander causes within the AFL, which led Michael being one of the pioneers behind the racial abuse code that the AFL codified in the 1990’s.
Since then, the charity operates different events throughout the year. This includes being a key part of the annual “Dreamtime at the G” round in the AFL, “The Long Lunch” events and “The Little Long Walk”.
In the days leading up to the Little Long Walk, the children at the centre created a banner to hold during the event. The Little Long Walk team visited and taught the children how to create different Indigenous symbols and their meanings.
Each child dipped their hand in paint and printed it onto the banner. This symbolises the togetherness of each child and team member at Aspire Thornhill Park.
Aspire Thornhill Park’s Little Long Walk event started with Craig reading the popular picture book Welcome to Country. The children loved seeing the pictures and learning about the significance of the Welcome to Country. He explained the importance of the different native Australian animals are to the creation story of The Dreaming.
After this, Craig brought out his didgeridoo and played some incredible beats inspired by animals. He asked the children about their favourite animals and played with the didgeridoo to make them sound like them.
“Lion!” multiple children shouted.
“Kangaroo!” squealed another.
“I like dragons!” yelled a third, stifling their laughter.
Craig captured the essence of these animals, and more, with the skilful playing of the didgeridoo.
Finally, the event concluded with a Little Long Walk around the centre. Two of The Long Walk team members proudly carried this banner at the front of the group. Behind them, the children marched in their different age groups, jumping and waving as they passed. Community members and guests also walked alongside the children, reinforcing the support and solidarity with First Nations peoples.
The day was a fantastic reminder of how crucial it is to incorporate the voices, knowledge and culture of Australia’s First Peoples. At Aspire Thornhill Park, and Aspire centres across the country, we look to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to teach our children about these things.
Spaces are running out for 2025 at Aspire Early Education & Kindergarten Thornhill Park. Call the enquiries team at 1800 978 429 or click one of the links below to book a tour or learn more.
