Students celebrate NAIDOC week with First Nations drinking fountain

Students from Pleasant Street Primary School have celebrated the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with a new First Nations Choose Tap drinking fountain installed as part of their new Indigenous Garden. 

The Central Highlands Water Choose Tap fountain, showcases the artwork of proud Wadawurrung Traditional Owner, Billy-Jay O’Toole, and is one of many fountains with the stunning reconciliation focused piece across the Central Highlands region. 

The featured artwork, Managing Country Together, represents the relationship between CHW and the four registered Aboriginal Parties on which CHW’s catchment extends, being Wadawurrung, Dja Dja Wurrung, Wurundjeri and Barenji Gadjin. 

As part of the ‘Plastic Free July’ global movement that encourages people to be part of the solution to plastic pollution, during July students will choose to refuse single-use plastic and utilise the new drinking water fountain to refill their reusable drink bottles and avoid single-use plastic water bottles. 

Pleasant Street Primary School Principal Janet Hillgrove, was excited to launch the new fountain. 

“We are proud to be able to celebrate NAIDOC week with the installation of this new Choose Tap drinking fountain in our recently opened Indigenous Garden. Students will now be able to continue learning about indigenous culture, while educating on the importance to Choose Tap and minimise single-use plastic for our environment and sustainable future.” Janet Hillgrove said. 

Choose Tap Ambassadors and CEO from the Ballarat Miners Neville Ivey was pleased to be able to launch this new First Nations drinking fountain with Central Highlands Water as part of NAIDOC week. 

“We are proud to be able to support Pleasant Street Primary School and Central Highlands Water celebrate culture of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, with the installation of this new First Nations Choose Tap drinking fountain. This will also help educate students on the importance to care for the environment by saying no to single-use plastic while keeping hydrated.” Neville Ivey said. 

Learn more about the Choose Tap message, and the importance of good hydration, from Central Highlands Water’s free educational resources, available for schools across our region. https://www.chw.net.au/education-sustainability/education-resources 

Choose Tap facts: 

• Your body is %70 water, dehydration reduces your ability to concentrate by %13 
•  Drinking 6-8 glasses a day helps to keep you in top shape 
• More than 50% of plastic bottles end up as landfill or rubbish 
• In Australia, we spend more than $680m a year on bottled water 
• Over 90% of the cost of a bottle of water is for the bottle, lid and label 
• Energy to produce and transport 1 single-use plastic water bottle, uses 3 litres of water and 1 litre of oil 
• By 2050, scientists predict there will be more plastics in the ocean than fish