Harrietville Bush Kinder, operated by Harrietville Primary School, won the 2025 Aunty Rose Bamblett Koorie Early Years Legacy Award in November 2025. This award recognises services that engage with Koorie children, their families and the local community, amplifying their voices and perspectives, and enabling self-determination.
The kindergarten embeds Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives across the curriculum and has a strong focus on learning and honouring the Dhudhuroa Language under Traditional Custodians’ guidance.
The kinder has strong and meaningful relationships with Dhudhuroa Elders and community, advocating for reconciliation, and activating children's voices. The service has strong links with local indigenous groups and individuals whose perspectives are authentically embedded into practices and curriculum. Together with Elders, children developed their own Acknowledgement of Country to honour the Dhudhuroa people and land. This helps all children build respect for First Nations people and their history, especially on Dhudhuroa country. It also helps Koorie children’s wellbeing and learning, supporting them to be proud of their identity and community.
Children join in Dhudhuroa Language Days where they learn new words and ideas through play, songs, and stories. Teachers also use the ‘8 Aboriginal Ways of Learning’ pedagogy framework to guide their teaching alongside the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (VEYLDF). They include cultural tools like possum skin journals for children to document their own learning journeys, a Culture Kit and First Nations storybooks, making learning fun, meaningful, and connected to culture.
The kinder also collaborates with local Aboriginal organisations and programs to support children’s learning and wellbeing. These partnerships include engagement with our Koorie Education Support Officer and cultural consultants such as Aunty Trish who support our planning and inclusion strategies for Koorie and all children at the service.
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