Many years in the making, Leura Public School will hold a grand opening fair in Spring to mark the official launch of an extensive walking trail called Yanema Budjery Gumada.
On Saturday, October 15, Yanema Budjery Gumada - which means 'walk with good spirit' in the Dharug language - will be officially open to the public.
The trail features 14 unique sites of cultural, ecological and historical significance.
Principal May Ptolemy said it is a collaboration with Indigenous Elders and community, Blue Mountains artists, the school's P&C, as well as staff, students and countless members of the school community. Local and state governments had also supported several sculptures and installations, she said.
"All have welcomed the opportunity to teach children and the wider community about Leura Public's diverse and rich histories."
The trail name was chosen by Dharug artist and cultural educator Leanne Tobin, whose stunning mural Ngadjung-ga ('freshwater place') is one of the trail artworks. She painted the mural in 2018, working with children at the school.
Leura Public is home to a protected hanging swamp and students learn about local ecologies and their care.
Ms Tobin said we all "have a special responsibility to care for country ... to ensure a healthy environment for the special and unique animals and plants that live here".
Yanema Budjery Gumada was originally the vision of local artist and former school parent Niki Martignago, who has contributed half a dozen sculptures to the trail. These include a giant gypsum/glass water skink, a bronze burrowing frog and a towering wall-mounted giant dragonfly - all three protected species are school mascots.
Back in 2011, Ms Martignago saw a need to bring together some of Leura Public's intriguing histories through art and storytelling.
These included Indigenous cultural histories; tales of the calamitous bushfire of 1957 which destroyed much of the school; and garden plantings by one of its most famous former parents, landscape architect Paul Sorensen (of Everglades fame). Sorensen worked with fellow Danish sculptor Otto Steen to design some of the school's extraordinary sculptural features.
One outstanding feature is the restored school bell, originally made in 1947 as part of a larger planned sculpture called 'The Bell of Memories', intended to honour lives lost in WWII.
Two of Sorensen's sons, both Leura Public students, were among those lost during the war. While the Bell of Memories was not completed as envisaged by Steen, three of its most fascinating elements are still part of the Yanema Budjery Gumada trail.
Two sets of sandstone koalas were carved for the school by Steen. A sandstone frieze beside the hall celebrates international ties of friendship. It matches friezes Steen made for the Paragon Café in Katoomba, and for the war memorial in Sydney's Hyde Park.
The bell's original steel brackets survived the '57 fire and were found in a school basement by grounds manager Peter van Gemert, who entrusted them to Martignago for restoration.
"The school is a living treasury," Ms Martignago said.
"So many people have been part of this wild journey. Often, we walk through days without noticing what's right beside us. Yanema Budjery Gumada encourages us to slow down - to observe the deep histories around us, and to understand how collaboration in art and storytelling can help us care for places we inhabit, wherever they might be."
All these sites, art and history will be accessible to the public on Saturday October 15 (10am to 3pm), when the school throws open its gates - and rings the historic bell - to mark the grand opening of Yanema Budjery Gumada.
The fair will feature food stalls; children's activities and games, including face-painting, guessing and art competitions; a treasure hunt and a tombola; STEM activities; a local Rural Fire Service fire truck; a BBQ staffed by Bunnings; and the ever-popular P&C cake stall. Guests can visit the school's kitchen garden, open as part of the Edible Garden Trail weekend, and buy fresh produce and seedlings from a market stall.
Yanema Budjery Gumada will be officially launched at 11am with performances, talks and an opening acknowledgement of Country involving the school's Indigenous students and families.
During the afternoon, the school's student council will host guided walks of the trail, departing hourly from the restored school bell. Self guided tours with a P&C map are also available.
Running all day, a creative arts precinct in the hall will include a children's art table and competition (open to all children - artworks made on the day), live performances by music ensembles, a Lego corner and an interactive drumming circle. The fair will close with a tree planting supported by Birches nursery.
Ms Ptolemy said: "Leura has been incredibly resilient through recent challenges - the fires, floods and COVID. Yanema Budjery Gumada embraces the power of community and co-operation over many years. We have survived these tough times together, and now it's time to celebrate."
No pets are allowed. There will be first aid and an accessible quiet space on the day.
