Concrete canvas showcases connection to Country

In a first for SA Water, a 40-metre section of its above ground water pipeline in Port Lincoln has been painted, with the specially-commissioned artwork depicting the importance of water to the Traditional Owners, the Barngarla people.

Several members of the Barngarla Aboriginal community have worked with local school students over the past few months designing and then creating the art, which was today unveiled to the wider public.

SA Water’s Reconciliation Action Plan Coordinator Sarah Smith said the painting tells the story of the goordla gawoo ngaoowiridi – fresh water cycle.

“The gawoo wilya (water spirits) are in the mabina (clouds) and they make the rain. Gawoo moodlanoo (water snake) is the creator of the water landscapes, water holes and waterways,” Sarah said.

“The gawoo wilya take care of and protect the gawoo, so it never runs dry. When it rains, the gawoo runs down to rock holes and flows into streams, rivers and creeks for animals, birds, fish, plants and people to use.

“When the time is right, the gawoo is taken back into the clouds to start the fresh gawoo cycle again.

“The Barngarla people say gawoo is the giver of life, and without gawoo, we cannot exist.

“This awareness of the value of water certainly rings true for SA Water and with South Australians in general, in relation to challenging climatic conditions we continue to experience and the impact this has on water availability.

“Aboriginal people have been living sustainably on Country for a long time, demonstrating traditional knowledge of land and protecting and maintaining sites of significance like waterways.

“We spend a lot of time looking to the future, but it’s important we also look to the knowledge and lessons of the past.

“Barngarla’s strong relationship to water really comes across in the pipeline art, namely a connection to the sea, the animals and plants that rely on it and how water was and continues to be used to sustain life.

“We want to continue building awareness of these stories within our own workforce and the wider population, and having something like the painting in a place for everyone to enjoy, as part of a project led by the community and supported by SA Water, is fantastic way to do this.

"A big thank you to Emma and Vera Richards for their design and working with us to create this amazing artwork."

Today’s event in Port Lincoln is one of several initiatives SA Water has been involved in across the state, as part of National Reconciliation Week. This includes a cultural tour, language and dance workshops for staff, the display of Aboriginal paintings in SA Water’s Adelaide headquarters, inclusion in the STEM Aboriginal Student Congress and the unveiling of specially-created artwork at the Blue Lake in Mount Gambier.

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