Australia 2011: CULTURAL EXPERIENCE

The rain has finally stopped!!!! Just long enough for a few of us to make it to the beach to watch surfers attempt to ride the waves. The real highlight of the day was the visitation of Julie Janson who is a teacher of indigenous culture and history of Sydney. Mrs. Janson has lived in Arnhamland for many years with the Yolngu people. She speaks to groups of people about the history, religion, and practices of the native peoples of Sydney. Mrs. Janson taught us how to make baskets using dead palm leaves. We decorated them using twine, ochre ( colored clays), shells, and feathers. Our two graphic designers on the team, Jackie and Kiara, ran with the idea and used these baskets as a package design for Australian wine. The name of their product was TWINE. After the cultural experience the Williams cooked us an Aussie BBQ offering Aussie sausage, kangaroo, and Pavlova for dessert. We had an amazing day relaxing and learning about the culture of Australia.