Art, community and connection. Some of the students proudly displaying their paintings at Blue Mountains TAFE, Katoomba. From left to right: Tori Christianson, Leanne Jones, Maree O’Brien and Ginni Christianson.“It’s a big chatfest,” says teacher, Leanne Tobin. (Photo: Linda Moon)
Story and photos by Linda Moon
Artists with an Indigenous heritage are telling their stories and finding a voice through a certificate course in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Arts at Blue Mountains TAFE.
The offering of a Certificate 2 and 3 in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Cultural Arts is empowering ATSI students to connect to their cultural histories. While developing art skills and techniques they convey personal stories that explore the often untold truth of Australia’s past.
People come from as far away as Portland, Kurrajong and Summer Hill to attend Leanne Tobin’s class.
For the students the class offers much more than artistic skills and creative expression. They gain social connection and the ability to talk about their life experiences within an accepting environment. For this art class, the common bond is being descended from Indigenous people and what that brings.
Dharug community artist and cultural educator, Leanne Tobin, works alongside Ilona Bruckard, another Aboriginal Art teacher and together they encourage the students to tell their own personal journeys. “Sometimes they do portraits. It can be emotional. There’s lots of tears,” she shares.
An artwork ‘in progress’ by B Hardy resulting from the course. “Acceptance is healing,” says teacher Leanne Tobin. (Photo: Linda Moon)
Power in authenticity and acceptance
Student, artist and mother, Leanne Jones, values the class as a place where she can be authentic. Jones has Dharug and Wiradjuri ancestry but that fact was kept hidden from her and her sister. She travels all the way from the Hawkesbury to attend the class. “You have to be yourself,” she says. “Everyone in this class has a story. We get to say who we are, why we’re here.”
At school Jones was kicked out of the classroom for questioning a history lesson on the discovery of Australia (by Captain Cook). “I said, ’no, sir, there were already people there’.” She recalls three children from the Stolen Generation at her school. “You could tell,” she says. But, back then, parents didn’t talk about being Aboriginal.
Dinawan Ngarraarry [Emu Hunt] by Indigenous artist and course participant Leanne Jones. Winner of the 2022/23 Blacktown City Art Prize (Indigenous art category) (Photo: TAFE NSW)
“It’s a healing class.” – Leanne Tobin
Healing intergenerational trauma through community art
The course is only open to people from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds. As Tobin explains, this helps ensure participants feel culturally safe. “It’s a place where people can come and not be judged; a safe, cultural space.”
Many in the class have suffered from the impacts of what happened to their ancestors. The heart-wrenching injustices they describe seem inconceivable today but the shadows of those times remain. “There’s a lot of trauma in this class,” Tobin says. “Everyone has got some kind of story. Sometimes they share stuff they haven’t told anyone before. It’s a beautiful thing to see people feeling safe to tell their truth. All their stories form a collective narrative of what happened here on Country.”
The stories shared reflect what Tobin refers to as “first contact times where cultures collided”. Stories of disconnection from family, Country, culture, as well as shaming, suppression and secrecy, are common themes.
Tobin’s classes include a mother and daughter and also a father and daughter team. The course offers an enjoyable and constructive way they can experience intergenerational healing and learn about their family, Tobin says.
Tobin, who has also worked in jails with Koori offenders, says that this disconnection from family, culture and Country is often the underlying cause of Indigenous stress and trauma. Working in jails was frequently about filling in the gaps of questions, such as “why did my mother abandon me?”
“My passion for art comes from the need to tell stories that are untold.” Community artist and cultural educator, Leanne Tobin, at Blue Mountains TAFE, Katoomba. (Photo: Linda Moon)
Yarramundi’s descendent continuing the work
Tobin, a descendent of the Dharug people of Western Sydney, has a fascinating history of her own.
Her mother was born in a terrace house in Harris Street on the banks of the Parramatta River in 1933 where the Albion Hotel now stands. Many Dharug babies were born here because the White Australia Policy (of the time) restricted Aboriginal women from having their babies in hospital.
As a teenager growing up in Emu Plains she didn’t know anything about her family background. Her grandmother had kept their ancestry a secret from her mother.
In adulthood she discovered that her great grandfather x 4, was the distinguished tribal Elder and ‘Karadji’ (medicine man), Yarramundi – after whom the township Yarramundi was named. His daughter was Maria Lock – one of the first stolen generations, being the first enrolment at the Parramatta Native Institution set up by Governor Macquarie in 1814. Maria graduated fully literate and married illiterate convict carpenter Joseph Lock on the 26th January in 1824 at St John’s Church Parramatta in what was to be the first official interracial marriage in Australia. Maria was also a talented student who topped 100 European and 20 Aboriginal students in a state-wide academic test.
Tobin, a practising artist, has also distinguished herself. In 2011, she won the Parliament of NSW Aboriginal Art Prize for her painting Defending Country.
Held once a week for four hours (across two years), the certificate level course is something people can fit into their lives, Tobin says.
The students study and practise painting, printmaking, drawing, digital art, ceramics, sculpture and other visual art techniques. “We often have critique sessions that allow the students to see the various stages of development each artwork goes through and also opens discussion between the students on various techniques, challenges and stories,” she says. Each term a new unit begins exploring various media and also includes learning about various aspects of the cultural art industry, such as copyright and protocols within community.
The cultural component – recognising and identifying culture – is a core focus.
Connecting to Aboriginal culture also switches participants onto Caring for Country, Tobin says. “Everyone who resides on Country, now needs to take on that custodianship. We all need clean air, clean water, clean food.”
This story has been produced as part of a Bioregional Collaboration for Planetary Health and is supported by the Disaster Risk Reduction Fund (DRRF). The DRRF is jointly funded by the Australian and New South Wales governments.
Join us for this fabulous workshop: Designing Your Future Home on Saturday 19 July (10am-12 noon) Create a Healthy, Comfortable and Energy-Efficient Home
Join local Passive House Designer Karina Rafailov from Earthy Haus for a relaxed, interactive, and inspiring workshop. Whether you’re planning a new build or thinking about a renovation, this session will empower you with the knowledge to create a home that’s healthier for your family and kinder to the planet.
Places are strictly limited in this hands-on workshop so bookings essential here (link in profile): https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/workshop-designing-your-future-home-tickets-1417752157869
As an increasing number of people are being affected by winter viruses, we’re offering a free session of Tai Chi and Qigong on Saturday 5 July in the warmth of our beautiful Frogs of the Blue Mountains exhibition. Places are limited so book in early here (link in profile): https://bit.ly/40fnGW2 Learn more about these Chinese medicine movement practices in the video interview with Virginia Field on our YouTube channel (link in profile) and read about how Chinese medicine helped her overcome illness as a young woman in our story: Healing Body, Mind and Spirit with Tai Chi and Qigong here (link in profile): https://www.katoombalocalnews.com/tai-chi-and-qigong/
If you’re interested in learning how to propagate native plants and are keen to help our bush regenerate, the Bushcare Seed Collectors meet on the second Tuesday of the month. Check out how they cook Banksias to release their seed and learn more about the group, and native seed collecting, in Katoomba Area Local News here (link in profile): https://www.katoombalocalnews.com/bushcare-seed-collectors/
If you’d like to join the group, contact the Bushcare officer Tracy Abbas on 4780 5623 or email [email protected]
Littlejohni, the Rare and Endangered Northern Heath Frog, photographed in Woodford!
When the Frogs of the Blue Mountains exhibition opened at the Planetary Health Centre in March it featured photos of 20 different local frogs. We were thrilled, however, when Andy Klotz and other members of the Hawkesbury Herpetological Society recently managed to photograph another frog in Woodford: the rarely seen and endangered Litoria littlejohni, also known as the Northern Heath Frog or Orange-bellied Tree Frog. We’ve added a photo of that frog to the exhibition and created a new Frogs of the Blue Mountains video in which you can listen to its call on our YouTube channel. We interviewed Andy to learn more about the Littlejohni and how they managed to find its small local population. You can read this story in Mid Mountains Local News (link in profile). #biodiversity #bluemountainsfrogs #northernheathfrog #litorialittlejohni #bluemountains #woodford #planetaryhealth #hawkesburyherpetologicalsociety...
Our newsletter is now out! Read about how you can contribute to @bluemountainscitycouncil`s Biodiversity Conservation Strategy; watch our video on Falling in Love with Glossy Black Cockatoos; see the new photos of the rare Northern Heath Frog; watch how the Bushcare Seed Collectors cook banksias to release their seeds; learn more about Tai Chi and Qigong, the Chinese medicine movement practices; and take part in our next workshop on Designing Your Future Home with Passive House Designer Karina Rafailov from @earthy_haus
Read it here (link in profile): https://bit.ly/40e4GHr
Our video on Falling In Love With Glossy Black Cockatoos is now up on our Planetary Health YouTube channel (sorry, it`s too big to share here but there`s a link in our profile).
Jayden Gunn finishes his presentation by saying:
"Care is like a snowball. The more people you tell the bigger the snowball gets, and the further it goes. And the more we know, the more we care. And the more we know, the more we`re able to help."
The video is of our fabulous Forum on Growing Connected Landscapes for the Glossy Black Cockatoo, and includes presentations by Jayden Gunn, BirdLife Australia, Amanda Foxon-Hill from Mid Lachlan Landcare, and STEM teacher Samantha Bowden from Glenbrook Public School. There`s a link with the video on how to register for the Community Tree Planting Day in Goologong on 5 July (and it`s also in our profile). Video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCERdF21Ud0&t=13s
Today we`re enjoying eating ripe medlars! Medlars are attractive cold climate fruit trees that were popular in Medieval gardens. They`re one of the few fruits that can be harvested in late Autumn and eaten in early Winter when they`re fully ripe. This is a great time of year to plant them for a future harvest. Check out our short video on how to eat them! #coldclimategardens #ediblegardens #medlars #growyourown #planetaryhealth #bluemountains...
We`re thrilled to share that last night @BlueMountainsCityCouncil`s Planetary Health Centre won the Innovative Leadership Award (Population Under 150K) in the 2025 NSW Local Government Excellence Awards. What a great end to World Environment Day! 🌏 This award celebrates how local government can lead transformative change for a more sustainable future. Thank you to everyone who worked so hard with us to make our vision a reality. You can read more about what we`re doing at our website (link in profile): http://www.bluemountainsplanetaryhealth.com.au/ @ph_alliance #planetaryhealth #worldenvironmentday #localgovernmentleadership #nswlocalgovernmentexcellenceawards...
Blocking out a couple of hours a week to step off the treadmill and give ourselves time to nurture our relationship with the earth and ourselves, is one way to keep our creative spirit and ‘lust for life’ alive. If you haven’t done so yet, one opportunity over the next week is to spend some ‘slow’ time in the 2024 Wynne Prize exhibition at the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre before it closes on 15 June. Read more in Katoomba Area Local News here (link in profile): https://www.katoombalocalnews.com/the-2024-wynne-prize/ @bluemountainsculturalcentre @artgalleryofnsw #wynneprize #landscapes #bluemountains #katoomba #artexhibition #planetaryhealth...
Recognising how violence and war impact the health of the planet, the Blue Mountains Planetary Health Initiative has become a member of the Blue Mountains Peace Collective. On Sunday 25th May, we attended a presentation by Dr Keith Suter on Making Peace in the World Today at the Leura Uniting Church. In this powerful presentation Dr Suter questions why we learn about war rather than successful peace negotiations! View the video of his presentation below and read our full story in Katoomba Area Local News here: https://bit.ly/3Fl4WgQ (link in profile)
With an extra day up your sleeve this long weekend, it`s a great opportunity to give nature a hand to regenerate and provide more habitat for our fellow species! Join our fabulous all ages Planetary Health Bushcare Group from 1.30pm and then participate in the Forum on Growing Connected Landscapes for the Glossy Black Cockatoo at 4pm, followed by drinks and nibblies! You can also start the day with a fabulous Tai Chi session at 8am. Visit our Planetary Health Pluriversity website to book in and learn more (link in profile): https://bmpluriversity.org/program/
Or ring 0407 437 553 for more information. #planetaryhealth #bushcare #katoomba #bluemountains #glossyblackcockatoos #landcare #biodiversity #habitat #wearenature #togetherwecan...
In this inspiring interview with Medlow Bath resident Amanda Foxon-Hill she talks about her work with Mid Lachlan Landcare, why Growing Connected Landscapes for the Glossy Black Cockatoo is so important, and why she loves her work so much! Read the full story in Blackheath Area Local News here: https://blackheathnews.com/connecting-landscapes-for-glossy-black-cockatoos/
Book in for the Growing Connected Landscapes Forum at 4pm this Saturday 7 June here: https://events.humanitix.com/growing-connected-landscapes-for-the-glossy-black-cockatoo Register your interest for the Community Tree Planting Day in Goologong here: https://events.humanitix.com/glossy-black-cockatoo-community-tree-planting-5
Linda Moon has lived in the upper Blue Mountains since childhood and is a freelance writer for Australian media. A qualified naturopath, permaculture designer, mother and former student of social work, her passion is building local community, gardening, mental, emotional, social, housing and environmental health – all of which are linked!
Blocking out a couple of hours a week to step off the treadmill and give ourselves time to nurture our relationship with the earth and ourselves, is one way to keep our creative spirit and ‘lust for life’ alive. If you haven’t done so yet, one opportunity over the next two weeks is to spend some ‘slow’ time in the 2024 Wynne Prize exhibition at the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre.
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