Putting small schools on the map

With less than a month to go until Wamoon's Centenary Celebrations, on Thursday September 10, 2015 Wamoon Public School unveiled their commemorative mural.

Artist Louise Cooper has been working with the Wamoon students using a range of traditional and non-traditional techniques and mediums to capture the heritage, present and future of Wamoon in this mural.

From sponges, to brushes to stencils and spraypaint; everyone got involved to paint this mural featuring a fisherman by the channel, a horse jumping a haybale, grain and citrus crops growing in the red earth and the centenary logo against the blue sky.

The Centenary Artists Residency is supported by Western Riverina Arts and Regional Arts NSW's Country Arts Support Program. Artist, Louise Cooper took the theme 'Putting Wamoon Back on the Map' to inspire her work within the school and community.

The concept has gone large, with Ms Cooper establishing The Bilby Bulletin: Small Schools, Big Adventures Network with small schools from Yetman on the Queensland border to Mulwala and Lowesdale on the Victorian border and Fern Bay on the East Coast.

This network of small schools spanning a wide geographic area will work together as creative collaborators to produce a publication and mail art projects, Wamoon Public School will act as the host school for The Bilby Bulletin Small Schools Network.

What better way to learn about other parts of Australia than from those who live there? Local students will be encouraged to get out and explore their local environments and communities so as to share their findings with other students and communities across the state.

A Bilby Bulletin Postcard Challenge has been issued to small schools across the state and Wamoon Public School has received their first response from Ladysmith Public School, a small school of 42 students 20km from Wagga Wagga.

We have already received tremendous support for the project with authors, John Marsden and Mem Fox donating books to be distributed by Lucky Draw amongst the small schools network. Tarcutta, Blighty, Conargo, Kapooka, Collingullie, Wyangala Dam, Greenethorpe, Woodstock, Ulan and Fern Bay Public Schools are our first lucky winners!

Charles Sturt University will support the The Bilby Bulletin team touring small schools throughout the Riverina later this year through a Regional and Rural Arts and Culture grant. Our small schools are an iconic part of Australian Bush Culture and we are seeing too many close down. The Bilby Bulletin: Small Schools, Big Adventures team headed by Louise Cooper will work towards raising awareness of our small schools and inspiring creative communities for success.