Tuesday, 17 December, 2024
Local pets being bitten by snakes
Special parting gift from senior students
Grant to help a local soccer club
See Real Estate liftout inside
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A Star News Group Publication
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Rod’s legacy to live on By Callum Ludwig
L-R: Andy Bennett, Rod Barnard and Skye Clarke of Millwara Primary School. (Stewart Chambers: 448104)
After 51 years, including 39 as a principal, a stalwart of education in the Upper Yarra is giving it up as this school year comes to a close. Millwarra Primary School Principal Rod Barnard is retiring, having taught throughout the Valley and even as far as Bathurst Island in the Northern Territory throughout his career. Mr Barnard said he’s very excited because he believes it’s time. “Sometimes people might come to the end of their career and they might be feeling like they don’t know whether it’s time to stop or not and I just feel this is a perfect time for us, it’s time for my wife as well, for both of us to be able to enjoy ourselves together,” he said. “We’ve got seven kids, so there’s plenty of time to spend there with our kids and then we’ve got eight grandchildren, so that’ll give us time to spend lots of time with them and any new ones that might come along.” Turn to page 11 for more
Station’s history This year marks the 100th anniversary of the closure of the Coranderrk Aboriginal Station. Coranderrk was central to the history of Victorian First Nations communities as it was one of the six aboriginal reserves that were established in Victoria to save First Nations people from extinction.
The establishment of Coranderrk affected other Aboriginal communities in Victoria and five more reserves were set up across the state. After getting through a hard period, Coranderrk Aboriginal Station was officially closed down in 1924. In the 1990s, Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation purchased the property of the part of Coranderrk and handed it over to Wandoon Es-
tate Aboriginal Corporation (WEAC), which was set up to manage the property run by the Wandin family, the descendants of Robert Wandin who was one of the leaders of the Coranderrk residents as well as the nephew of Willam Barak. WEAC has managed the Coranderrk since then, aiming to keep the legacy of the ancestors of the Coranderrk in the reconciliation movement. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the
closure of the Aboriginal Station, Star Mail decided to delve into the history of Coranderrk. Star Mail interviewed three Coranderrk residents’ descendants, David Wandin and Brooke Wandin who are the great-grandchildren of Robert Wandin as well as Healesville grown man Andrew Peters, who is an associate professor of Indigenous Studies at Swinburne University. Turn to pages 14 and 15 for more
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