KERANG born Barapa Barapa Yorta Yorta man, Kai Lane, said it was “a dream come true” to return home and guide school children to create habitat pods that will become home to native fauna in the Gunbower Forest.
Mr Lane, along with Barapa Barapa elder Uncle Ron Galway, has led ‘Habitat Warriors’ programs at primary schools in Murrabit, Gunbower and Kerang.
“The kids learn how to construct the pods using traditional Indigenous weaving techniques, while teaching them about our amazing wildlife and celebrating Aboriginal cultural heritage,” Mr Lane said.
“They absolutely loved the sessions, and it was pretty amazing because a lot of them are from farms and a few of them are part of the River Detectives program, so some of them already knew about the native fish I was showing them.
“Their knowledge of local fauna was amazing.”
Mr Lane, a traditional owner representative and trainee ecologist with Ecology and Restoration Australia, also shared knowledge of Indigenous symbols, Marngrook (AFL), played his didgeridoo and shared a Dreamtime story of the Red-Tailed Cockatoo.
At St Joseph’s Primary School in Kerang, Mr Lane said there was a special moment of intergenerational connection.
“With the cultural Dreamtime story, it had some elements that were from Aunty Esther (Kirby OAM), and Aunty Esther’s grandson Isaac Kelly was in the class,” Mr Lane said.
“It was special to be able to pass on that generational knowledge.”
The Yedabila (‘animal’ in Yorta Yorta) Habitat Pods woven by the students will be used by the North Central Catchment Management Authority (CMA) native fish recovery plan project.
Inside the pods will be small, aquatic plants to further enrich the ecosystem.
“The pods are biodegradable, so as the vegetation grows back the pods naturally break down, leaving no trace behind,” Mr Lane said.
“The kids were amazing, weaving the lignum is not something that’s super easy but we couldn’t be more happy with how the habitat pods turned out.
“The pods help protect native wildlife from predators and shelter them from extreme weather.”
