[didgeridoo music playing]

STUDENT: In term 2, we were lucky to have Leanne Tobin, an Aboriginal elder and artist work with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students at Ellison Public School. For two days, the aim was to create our own totems. We met up and yarned with Leanne, firstly. She got to know us. And we got to know her. We talked about animals that are native to Australia and the animals that were native to our local area. Leanne also explained the history of animals in the area.

STUDENT: Leanne helped us choose a totem animal that we were familiar with and had a good connection. For me, having possums on my roof, I decided to choose a ringtail and brushtail possum. We looked at pictures of our chosen totem animal to help us sketch an accurate design. This allowed us to get a good idea of what we should draw on our pole.

STUDENT: Next, we went out to the yarning circle, where our totem poles were already up and had an undercoat on them. We talked about how to use paint brushes properly and what brushes to use for certain details. For example, more designs use thinner brushes to make sure that their outline didn't cover the picture. Leanne guided us to shake the paint before using it to make sure there weren't any lumps.

We all chose a colour to paint the background of the pole. We had to consider what time of day we wanted it set and the habitat of our chosen animal. Lucy and I chose aqua that faded into a sky blue because our animals are water-based.

STUDENT: We needed to leave these colours to then dry. Leanne gave us chalk to outline our animals before outlining with paint. We used chalk first to make sure we had a clear draft. And it allowed us to fix up any mistakes. I found it difficult using the chalk in parts because of the grooves, but it was good to get an idea of what my totem looked like and if I needed to fix or add anything.

STUDENT: Next we painted our totem. We had to remember the colours of our chosen totem. We painted the outline first. Most of us did that in black. Next, we painted the animal in its correct colours. Some of us painted dots around the outside of our totem.

STUDENT: We thoroughly enjoyed our time with Leanne and each other. It was so nice to learn about the different totems around our area as well as getting to know Leanne. We feel really proud when we walk past our totems at the entrance to our school and are so thankful for the opportunity.