Jason Smith, centre, and Danny Gardner are organisers of the patrula nayri traditional fire workshops, who are currently seeking funding to continue their community-based workshops. (PS)
“We are taught we should fight fire, but we are reintroducing fire as a friend,” said Jason Smith who, alongside Danny Gardner, is an organiser of the patrula nayri traditional fire workshops.
Both Mr Smith and Mr Gardner, proud Tasmanian Aboriginals, have been running these fire workshops around southern Tasmania, teaching the community about traditional Aboriginal burning practices and culture around fire and land management.
“It gives people a connection to country; we teach that people need to get out on country and spend time on it,” stated Mr Smith.
“There is tools to know what is healthy and not healthy about country; fire allows us to teach what plants need fire and when.
“There is a misconception that we need to burn hot fires big and we are the only people really doing fires as small as this, with most of our burns self-extinguishing and no bigger than a small car.”
Mr Smith said that the burning workshops are a purely Aboriginal perspective, aiming to teach cultural skills associated with burning practices of listening to country for its needs and your own.
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