Pinnaroo is a small country town hugging the border between South Australia and Victoria along the Mallee Highway.
It has its fair share of secrets, but perhaps none as enduring as the one at the local primary school.
The town has a strong sense of tradition, family and community, carefully maintained through plaques and statues scattered around the town.
Stories of the past are also preserved through oral history.
Pinnaroo Primary School's Venning House also has links to the past, preserved through its war cry, which has endured since the school opened in 1906.
But the meaning of one particular word had remained a mystery.
In March, school principal Bronwyn Kay was preparing for the annual sports carnival and going through one of the school's various war cries:
Boom-a-laka, Boom-a-laka, Bish, Bom, Bar, Green House, Green House, Ya, Ya, Ya,
Gundarwarra, Gundarwarra, Roo, Roo, Rah V-E-N-N-I-N-G VENNING
Ms Kay soon realised they had a problem.
"There was something which had always bothered us," she said.
"There were some words in [the war cry] which sounded like they could have been from an Indigenous language.
"We're on Ngarkat land.
"It's important to us that if we were teaching it and singing it, we know what it means, and we're doing so respectfully and inclusively."
The unknown word was gundarwarra.
Ms Kay posted a call-out on the school's online social media group hoping someone might know.
"No-one onsite knew what the word meant, including those who had been here much longer than me," she said.
"It was amazing how many people came forward with their own memories about the song and highlighted to us how important the school is within our community."
Former teacher Mona Blacksell started her time with the school in 1965 and has been attached to the town ever since.
"The war cry was going well before I came … forever and a day. I don't know when it started," she said.
"It is astonishing the number of people who have an association with Pinnaroo who have moved away but then come back."
Mystery meaning hard to find
But the hunt didn't bring the school any closer to the meaning of the word.
Then the ABC took on the task of looking for the word in several locations, starting with Trove, the historical research portal.
A colonial-era dictionary did include the word, confirming the first question. Gundarwarra originated from a First Nations language.
However, it wasn't conclusive enough.
The ABC then contacted Indigenous languages groups, including the University of Melbourne's 50 words project, but didn't find the answer.
While Pinnaroo is on Ngarkat country, it's close to other language groups along the Murray River.
The word gundarwarra appeared in other languages with a variety of meanings.
La Trobe University's associate professor in linguistics Stephen Morey said gundarwarra resembled the Werkaya/Wergaia word for swan — gunuwarr.
Linguist reveals meaning
The search finally came to an end, thanks to the help of Harley Dunolly-Lee.
Mr Dunolly-Lee grew up in Bendigo, Victoria, which is nearly five hours' drive from Pinnaroo, and learnt the Dja Dja Wurrung language from 16 years old.
The Wurrung man then studied linguistics at La Trobe University.
Mr Dunolly-Lee, who now works as a cultural heritage monitor at the Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation, said the name meant spear point.
However, he said it was difficult to trace down the words accurately.
"First Nations groups don't observe the same borders between the states we have nowadays, there weren't 'South Australian' tribes before colonisation," he said.
"Language is about identity, belonging and undoing some of the damage done by colonisation."
Maraura and Ngarrindjeri man and Riverland elder Barney Lindsay said the loss of culture weighed heavily on him.
Uncle Barney said he was happy to see First Nations words used more in everyday life.
"Not knowing the full language of my own tongue, it feels like you're wounded, like you have an injury that will never heal," he said.
"Hearing language still used by young children is like an injection of hope. It gives you the strength in your spirit and soul to carry that wound.
"To me, it's like carrying a big ball and chain around my ankle."
Ms Kay said the knowledge was comforting to her and thought it contextually made sense with the rest of the song.
"The following line is 'roo-roo-rah', and you might imagine the person with the spear point is on the hunt," she said.
"It's great to have that clarity. It means we can continue to sing it and know what we're saying."
