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Quandamooka Country

Quandamooka Country

Winnam (Wynnum) and Tangulba (Tingalpa) and all of the Bayside region is part of the Aboriginal Nation of Quandamooka.  Archaeological evidence now confirms that Quandamooka people have been living in the Moreton Bay region for at least 25, 000 years, but our custodianship existence through the Ancestral Worlds is Millennia.   People of Quandamooka continue to live by the lore of our land and pass these lore’s on through the generations.

We appreciate and know that the vibrancy of Quandamooka lore, language, culture and life-styles remain deeply embedded within our beautiful landscapes, the changing of the seasons, and the telling of our stories…just as much as it is embedded within the DNA of Quandamooka people.

Wendy Watego Ittensohn Quandamooka, Member of Association and past President

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About

About Us

Gundala is currently a one-unit Kindergarten which was set up in 1977 in response to the commitment and activism of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents who wanted their children to have the same access to early childhood education that was afforded to other children.

Located on Quandamooka Country for the last 30 years, Gundala is an affiliate of Crèche and Kindergarten Association and is governed by a voluntary parent management committee.

 

In 2016 the Management Committee realized we needed to transform the way we were leading and governing Gundala if we were to grow and offer more responsive services to our Jarjums and families.  It resulted in the development of a shared Gundala vision, championed with a 5-year strategic plan, including a commitment to re-engineer our partnerships with local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations, government and businesses.  A smarter stronger foundation of governance, coupled with the educational leadership of our staff, resulted in Gundala achieving:

  • Exceeding Rating in the National Quality Standards assessment and rating;

  • Increases in our enrolments of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from 20% in 2015 to 65% in 2020.    

  • Securing a grant in 2018 to bring to life Gundala’s vision of growing the Association into an early childhood integrated service for children and families.

 

These achievement and growth indicators communicate to us that our families and community have trust and confidence in the quality of the early education and services we offer at Gundala.

Our Vision

Gundala is growing into our vision of being a blueprint for inter-generational success. We get to be powerful contributors to our community by offering early childhood services which holistically responds to the needs and aspirations of our little children and families, a place embedded within cultural knowledge systems that are guided by our Ancestral wisdom, empowered by the needs of our children, ad inspired by the aspirations of out families.

Snap Shot of Our History

Gundala Kindergarten Association celebrated its 40th Birthday in 2019 hip-hip hooray! Just think, the vision of Gundala started out as a coffee table conversation by a group of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mums and  families who were 100% committed to giving their children and other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children the opportunity to have a pre-school education. Prior to the 1970’s early childhood education for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children was extremely limited. Early childhood education was the start of an educational revolution for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their families.

What an accomplishment it is to all of Gundala’s past Management Committees, teachers teacher aides, bus drivers, cleaners, families, parents, local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and all who supported the courageous vision of building a Kindy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their families. A Kindy dedicated to preparing their children and community. Gundala officially opened its doors in 1978 in Carina, and since 1990 it sits on the Ancestral Homelands of the Quandamooka people in Winnam (Wynum).

 

Gundala Kindergarten Association is a non-profit incorporated community Kindergarten affiliated with Creche and Kindergartens.

Our Affiliation with C&K

The Crèche and Kindergarten Association (C&K) is our Central Governing Body.  We chose C&K because they have a long history of commitment to reconciliation spanning over more than a century of work in early childhood education and care.  They’re well experienced in working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to establish integrated early learning services, such as our Jarjum and Family Place and they have a Reconciliation Action Plan.

C&K has cared for and educated over one million children since they were established in 1907.  They have over 350 Kindy and childcare centres around Queensland and as a not-for-profit, children come first in everything.   

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