Learning on Country: Our Cultural Immersion Experience

For almost 20 years, Sacred Heart College has sent a group of Year 11 students to teach at the Nykinia Mangala Community school in the Jarlmadangah Burru Community as part of a weeklong cultural immersion. As a group, eight students and two teachers, travelled to Western Australia over the winter holidays to participate in this 10 day trip. We spent a few days in Broome -  kayaking at Gantheaume Point (spotting a sea turtle), driving around Broome and of course doing the ‘Big Shop’ to prepare for our time in the community.

On Sunday afternoon, we arrived at Jarlmadangah and settled in to the school as some of the kids wandered down to meet us. Even with plenty of great stories and advice from past students and teachers, the kids still managed to surprise us. Ranging from ages 3 to 14, there were up to 21 kids attending school each day, many more than past years. We quickly learnt how much they loved playing basketball, line tiggy and piggybacks, and as the sun set on the orange cliffs this quickly became a nightly routine.

Getting to know the kids inside the classroom was sometimes a challenge as they greatly outnumbered us, but it was fun moving between the younger and older classes and planning activities like cooking, spaghetti ‘engineering’ and volcano experiments. It was lovely to get to know the students personally and learn more about them.

We were warmly welcomed by the Principal, Ms Wiki, and teacher, Ms Katie and are very grateful for their help guiding us through the teaching during the week. We also had the opportunity to go out On Country with Mr Wayne, who although shy at first, soon became our tour guide to all things Kimberley. It was extremely special to visit the local caves and the Fitzroy River wetlands and try different bush foods (like the boab nut and conkerberries). We will forever be grateful for all he taught us about the land and the Jarlmadangah Community.

We finished our trip with another few nights in Broome and got to enjoy a morning camel ride, visit the Broome museum, and spend time on the beach and at the jetty.

We won’t forget our time in the Kimberley, it definitely ‘gets under your skin’ as everybody says. It was so special to be able to make such great connections with the kids of JBAC and the friendships we made with the staff of the community school, our own teachers and each other will not be forgotten. Our time spent at Nykinia Mangala School, the red, rocky ranges and boab trees and the sound of the kids laughing and playing barefoot in the red dirt will forever be a treasured memory.

Written by Millie Erwin & Inga Foerster, Year 11 Immersion Participants