Students and staff of SUS302 ‘Sustainability Problem Solving’ were privileged to be part of a collaborative workshop alongside members of the Bunya Bunya Country Aboriginal Corporation (BBCAC) at USC this week. Kerry and Rodney Jones provided remarkable knowledge, experiences and personal insights to the pre-European history on the Sunshine Coast, sharing how their family was affected by European colonisation and how this continues to affect their daily lives. Kerry and Rodney shared their knowledge of using ecological indicators to determine harvesting seasons and how these have changed over time to affect harvesting of some species (E.g. the flowering of the batwing coral tree indicating the season of the mud-crab).
The staff and students of SUS302 have an inadequate knowledge and understanding of the Sunshine Coast’s cultural and natural heritage. We hope to address this by continuously appreciating and engaging with different ways of knowing to expose ourselves to perspectives outside of the academic world. The students and staff alike were mesmerized by the stories told during the two-hour session. The interactive exercises allowed appreciation for the different ways people see a landscape – physically, spiritually and emotionally.
A massive thank you to Kerry and Rodney for your ongoing support and opportunities that you provide us for SUS302. We thank you for sharing your knowledge, stories and experiences working on Indigenous land management and for being so generous with your time; we are privileged to share the learning space with you.
We also thank Rachele for the organisation of such an inspiring and insightful workshop which the SUS302 staff and students will cherish and remember to apply learnt concepts to their personal lives and professional careers. We recognise and value the work that you do and look forward to continually improving the recognition and engagement of Traditional Custodians in the courses and research we are involved in.
Finally, we thank all students and staff of SUS302 for participating in this workshop and we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.
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