It has been a very busy two weeks in the Aboriginal Contact Centre, with lots of events taking place. 

On the 6th September, we held session two of the Gurubangamba Mentoring and Transition Program, where Indigenous students from our feeder primary schools, St Mary's, Moruya and St Bernard's, Batemans Bay came to the college to work with our mentors on a range of activities all based on the theme of ‘resilience’. It was a fun-filled day with a range of team-building activities, Dadirri Meditation and a Yarning Circle. I would like to acknowledge our Year 12 Mentors, Malaki, Charlee, Bailey, Tanesha and Isaac for being fantastic mentors during their time at the college. 

On the 13th September, twenty of our Indigenous students in years 7-10 joined with the students in Mrs Mullins’, Agriculture class, to be buddies for the Kindergarten students from St Bernard's as they visited Red Gate Farm. As part of this visit, Trisha Ellis took the students on a Bush Food Walk, imparting her extensive knowledge of traditional farming practices to those there. 

The ‘Today, Tomorrow, Forever Koori Tiddas’ program has also begun. This program, devised and facilitated by our Aboriginal Education Worker, Chelsea Laurie, has been designed for our Indigenous girls to provide them with an opportunity to connect with their culture and each other. The program will continue to run each Thursday for the remainder of the year and we thank Chelsea for her work with the girls. 

We have also farewelled our Year 12 students, who have graduated this week. These students have been fantastic role models for our younger Indigenous students and have worked tirelessly to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Culture is recognised and respected within our school community. We are so proud of them all. To thank the students and wish them well, our Indigenous students in Years 7-11 have created individualised message sticks for each of our six graduates. These sticks recognise their individual talents and strengths and demonstrate the impact that they have had on our school community. 

We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate and thank Malaki, Charlee, Tanesha, Bailey, Issac and Makayla. We wish them well and know that they will continue to be fabulous leaders and advocates for their people and culture. 

Michelle Katuke

Contact Teacher for Aboriginal Education.