Essendon Health Hub Refurbishment
April 29, 2022
To commemorate the completion of our Essendon Health Hub Refurbishment project for Kangan Institute, our Indigenous Site Supervisor Alex Kerr created a message stick which he presented to Kangan Institute CEO Sally Curtain and other Kangan staff in a ceremony on site.
The Barpa project team of Alex Kerr, Zane Connors, Paul Skopilianos and Jeffrey Wood took the initiative to commemorate the completion of this significant and challenging project for Kangan Institute.
The story behind the art work is to do with healing and education;
· The circle represents the Essendon Campus and the whole of Kangan Institute.
· The pathway and footprints represent the journey all students and educators embark on together through Kangan Institute programs.
· The animals and hunting implements represent education in terms of how Elders pass down knowledge.
· The gum leaves have 2 meanings; firstly, the Wurundjeri are known as the manna gum people & secondly gum leaves which have healing properties were used in a smoking ceremony creating a safe place for students to thrive in.
Alex who is a Wurundjeri Traditional Owner explained his thinking behind the Message Stick “I chose this story as Kangan now have an awesome facility which will now allow students to get the best education/experience in the health sector and will be able to produce more nurses in a field that is of high demand in the current climate.
As not only a Traditional Owner but as a member of Barpa Constructions I am very honoured to be a part of this journey and look forward to teaming up once again in the near future.”
