17 Sep 2020
In an exciting yearlong project, Lyneham High School worked with the Aboriginal community and engaged a talented young artist to transform a bare wall in the school building into an incredible mural, inspired by themes of the land, identity and ancestry.
The school approached Sydney based artist and proud Wiradjuri man, Mackenzie Saddler, to work on the project.
Speaking in a short video, Mackenzie describes the inspiration behind each element of the artwork and shares his hopes that the new installation will inspire and encourage the students.
“Figuring out your identity is one of those big problems that we all struggle with, whether you’re a student trying to understand adulthood, a parent watching a child grow up or a country reflecting on its history. There’s a certain peace that has to be made,” said Mackenzie.
The artwork draws inspiration from country; the dots depicted correlate with the topography of the land and the rivers represent the rivers running through the land.
“It’s important that we know our country and know where we are planted so we can properly grow,” said Mackenzie.
The staff at Lyneham High School love the new mural and look forward to incorporating it into their lessons as a teaching tool.
You can follow Mackenzie’s journey in bringing the mural to life and listen as he describes the meaning behind this incredible installation in this short video: https://youtu.be/LFUbqVgoCYQ 
For more information about cultural integrity in our schools see our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education page: https://www.education.act.gov.au/public-school-life/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-education