Serco installs native plant display in Melbourne for Reconciliation Action Week
Published: 22 May 2023
In celebration of Reconciliation Week which starts on 27 May, our Melbourne Parks and Gardens team have designed and installed a feature display of native plants and grasses outside Town Hall.
The selection features flora used by First Nations people for medicinal purposes, food sources and cultural activities such as weaving and painting.
“People will recognise many of the plants and grasses used in this display, as they are native or endemic to this region. What is less well known is the deep cultural significance of many of these plants and their traditional use by First Nations people,” Contract Manager Ben Corfee said.
Lime Tuff (Lomandra longifolia)– used by Wurundjeri people for weaving items such as necklaces, headbands, girdles, baskets, mats and bags, nets and traps. Its seeds provide a high protein food source.
Broadleaf hopbush (Dodonaea viscosa) – its leaves were used by First Nations people to relieve toothache and treat stingray wounds.
Emu Bush (Eremophila nivea beryl’s blue) – regarded by many Indigenous groups as their “number one medicine” and used to treat colds and skin infections.
Dianella – its leathery, strong leaves are used to weave baskets and make string. The sweet purple berries are used as a food resource.
Club Rush (Ficinia nodosa) – its long trailing rhizome/roots are used to make headbands, while the pith and rhizome are edible.
Banksia – its sweet nectar can be eaten and the spikes were once used as paint brushes.
The display also features:
- Lomandra longifolia or spiny-head mat-rush
- Adenanthos or Woolly Bush
- Acacia
- White Correa
- Leptospermum petersonii or Tea Tree Copper Glow
- Grevillea
Through our Reconciliation Action Plan, Serco is committed to being meaningful partner in reconciliation by instilling a shared pride in First Nations’ cultures, providing culturally safe and sustainable employment and education opportunities, making workplaces inclusive through language, representation and policy, and fostering an environment of belonging.