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Camden Haven High School

Camden Haven High School

Aim for the Highest

Introducing Camden Haven High School House Elementals

The Birpai people are the traditional custodians of our local country. The Birpai people have Totems or Elementals to classify all things including plants, animals, birds and people. They provide a link between the natural world and kinship relationships with spiritual beliefs and personal responsibilities. Belonging to an Elemental bestows upon the individual responsibilities and obligations for maintaining knowledge and the adoption of other practices to protect and conserve the species. 

Camden Haven High School are joining with our traditional owners in sharing these responsibilities and obligations by incorporating Elementals to be part of our four School Houses. As part of this Camden Haven High School have combined our house names with the native language of our area, Kattang.

The Student Representative Council (SRC) with coordinators Mr Brent Wilkinson and Miss Sally Woodhouse travelled around the local area and wrote the content of the video that was filmed by Miss Natalie Aldous and Mr Aiden Spelling on the drone.

The school would like to thank Aunty Rhonda Radley and the Local Land Council for their support and contributions to the creation and development of the House Totems.

The project was a combined effort, spearheaded by Mr Phil Baker and Mr Brent Wilkinson, and involved many students, staff and the wider community.

Thank you to students Hamish Cook-Webber, Kyra Evans and Demi McNamara for creating the artwork that formed the base of the crest. Mr Daniel Baker then turned the artworks into digital designs with the help of Mr Rob Newell. Miss Natalie Aldous created the flags and produced the video to display all this hard work!

 

Camden - Wurran

The Goanna is a significant elemental to all Birpai people

Haven - Dinuni

The shark is the major sea elemental of all Birpai people

Taylor - Wambuyn

Several species of Kangaroo share totems to different groups of Birpai, with the Eastern Grey most closely linked to the clans of the Comboyne area

Watson - Biluun

The stingray is most closely associated with the northern-most Birpai clan around Point Plomer