Message Sticks' Journey of Joy

The beautiful artefacts were painted by Aboriginal artist Vicki Clark and crafted from River Red Gum from by the Mallee region by Trevor Clark. The design tells the story of the Creator Spirit who spoke to the ancestors thousands of years before Abraham and Moses, gifting the Law to care for country, the waterways, and animals and to co-exist with all.

In Aboriginal culture, message sticks were traditionally passed between different clans and language groups to share information, transmit messages and communicate invitations to corroborees and meetings.

Reflecting this ritual that is thousands of years old, four of the message sticks were distributed by the Diocese across the land, one to each point of the compass. The fifth remained at Ballarat Education Office as a symbol of the interconnectedness of all our communities from the Murray to the sea.

The southern message stick was passed on to Trinity College, having travelled from Emmanuel College in Warrnambool to Mercy Regional College and St Brendan’s in Coragulac before arriving at St Mary’s in Colac and then to Sacred Heart Primary School.

Traditional symbols painted on the relic represent the journey of thousands of Catholic students and staff in the Diocese of Ballarat, the land and waters on which they share their gifts and the southern cross that serves as a constant guide.

The College received the message stick acknowledging the honour of being a custodian of the special artefact that links our communities in the journey of faith and justice as we seek to make the word of God a living reality in our lives.

A prayer for all who walk this land:
May we always stand as tall as a tree
Be as gentle as the morning mist, and
as strong as the earth under our feet.
May the warmth of the campfire be in each of us,
And may the Creator Spirit, Source of all Life,
always watch over us.
Amen