The Sharks Have Heart team joined in on the Sutherland Shire Council’s Youth Week celebrations at the end of April, attending a guided bush foods walk at Joseph Banks Native Plants Garden in Kareela.
NRLW recruits and members of the Shark’s community team, Emma Tonegato and Jada Taylor, took part in the walk and were offered the opportunity to learn more about Aboriginal culture and the history of the Sutherland Shire - their new home for the 2023 NRLW season.
“It was really special to go on the walk and learn about the history of the area,” Tonegato said. “It was also a great opportunity to connect with our Sharks Have Heart team.”
Natural Areas Aboriginal Heritage Officer, Graham Avery, led the bush walk, sharing his knowledge of local flora, including which plants were traditionally used by the Dharawal people for weaving, tool making, eating and making fires. The experience involved smelling different fragrant leaves and eating native berries, allowing the Sharks Have Heart team to connect with the land on which they work and play.
“We were educated on what was native to this land and what wasn’t, and this allowed us to feel a sense of connection with Country,” Taylor said.
“We got to learn about native trees and we even got to try some, which was really cool,” Tonegato added.
“We also did some fire making. Learning how to do that was awesome.”
NSW Youth Week is a week-long event, held annually across the State to empower and connect the community’s youth aged 12-24. Throughout the week, the Sutherland Shire Council facilitated various activities, competitions and events, organised by young people for young people, to encourage local youth to ‘Connect. Participate. Celebrate’.
