Celebrating NAIDOC Week with The Six Noongar Seasons.
- Perth Children's Hospital Foundation
Celebrating NAIDOC Week with The Six Noongar Seasons.
- Perth Children's Hospital Foundation
Earlier this month, we celebrated NAIDOC Week with a special screening of The Six Noongar Seasons, a vibrant animated film created through the PCHF-funded Noongar Digital Artist in Residence (AiR) Program.
Held on 3 July, this special showcase brought together patients, families, staff, special guests and school groups to celebrate Noongar culture, creativity and storytelling through the magic of claymation and digital animation.
Watch a cut-down 2-minute version of The Six Noongar Seasons animated film:
The film is the culmination of a two-year collaboration between Artists in Residence Steven Aiton (animation artist), renowned Noongar artist Kevin Bynder and Noongar/Yamaji storyteller Priscilla Bynder-Headland. Together, they blended traditional Noongar storytelling with contemporary digital art, working with kids at Perth Children’s Hospital (PCH) to bring the six Noongar seasons to life: Birak (December to January), Bunuru (February to March), Djeran (April to May), Makuru (June to July), Djilba (August to September) and Kambarang (October to November).
Through the program, young patients aged 4 to 16 took part in hands-on workshops in classrooms, at the bedside and in recreation spaces across the hospital. Guided by Artists in Residence, kids created native animals from clay inspired by the six seasons. These creatures were then digitally animated, becoming part of a large-scale artwork celebrating Noongar culture and connection to Country.
Featuring more than 100 animated creatures created by participating children, The Six Noongar Seasons was showcased as the finale of the NAIDOC Week event. The screening was livestreamed and recorded for streaming on patients’ TVs, allowing even more children across the hospital to share in the experience.
Beyond the creative outcomes, the Noongar Digital AiR Program plays an important role in supporting children’s mental health and wellbeing by fostering social connection, reducing feelings of isolation, and providing a positive and engaging outlet during a hospital stay.
The NAIDOC Week event was organised by the School of Special Educational Needs: Medical and Mental Health (SSEN: MMH) and Child and Adolescent Health Service (CAHS), with support from many contributors, including PCH Art Curator Maryam Abdinor and Kelly Wylie, Dani Edgecombe and Kristy Cook from the SSEN: MMH team, whose efforts helped bring the celebration to life.
The story will continue on National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day on 4 August 2026, when an extended seven-minute version featuring Kevin Bynder’s full voice-over narration of The Six Noongar Seasons will be screened on the Ground Floor at PCH.
The PCH Arts Program is proudly funded by Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation and its funding partners, including ToyBox Australia and Wesfarmers.
Help create more positive patient experiences like this, visit pchf.org.au/donate.