Gawandi is an entertaining celebration of Aboriginal culture designed to educate children in the ways of our first nation people. Gawandi ‘aka’ Tom Kitchener is a didgeridoo player, dancer and story teller who delights in passing his knowledge onto the next generation. The show is however not just all about him. Students are encouraged and are delighted to join in the dances as they imitate the movement of the emu, kangaroo and other Australian native animals. Students also get to participate with the music. While some are asked to provide percussion, others from each year level will even get to experience the didgeridoo first hand. All this participation is woven together with stories of a way of life very foreign to today’s students.

Gawandi is a descendant of both the NSW Coast tribes Bundjalung and Biripi and has been performing since the age of 6 when he and his brothers would busk at Sydney’s Circular Quay. Since those early days he has continued to perform and conduct workshops, both entertaining and educating children and adults alike with his stories, dance and music. He was contracted for a year as an instructor, teaching Aboriginal Cultural Awareness for the Ted Noff’s Foundation that culminated with the participants presenting a show-case of their work. Tom has worked with the Tribal Warrior Mentoring Program, played didgeridoo, given talks about Aboriginal Culture and Artefacts at numerous events and ceremonies and has been touring to Australian schools and kindergartens since 2017.