Students at Dubbo College South Campus were taught about the healing properties of native plants on Friday.
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Aunty Beth Wright was invited to give a presentation to the Year 9 students for National Science Week.
Ms Wright taught the students about smoking ceremonies, emu eggs and the uses for leopard trees. Her natural ‘first aid kit’, which includes everything from eucalyptus to tree sap, has been collected since 1998 and has more than 200 uses, she said.
Ms Wright said a lot of the kids didn’t know their culture or identity. Her presentation gave them a little bit of insight into medicines which had been used for hundreds of years.
“You give them a little bit and of they want to learn more they can go off and explore themselves,” she said.
Ms Wright said by using the samples she had collected for her kit, it allowed the students to see, touch and understand what she was explaining to them.
The students were also taught their totem animal.
This year National Science Week runs from August 11 to 19.
It’s an annual celebration of science and technology that also aims to encourage and stimulate an interest in scientific pursuits among younger people.
More than 1000 National Science Week events have been held across the country.