Daly River Immersion 2023
In late August a group of 9 students and 2 teachers we lucky enough to head to the hot and humid weather of the Northern Territory for a 10 day ‘on country’ experience with the Nauiyu and Wudicupildiyerr communities. Wudicupildiyerr (known to the locals as Wudi) is situated in wild dog/dingo country and Nauiyu lies on the Daly River.
Having been part of the SBC culture for 12 years, this year’s immersion gave students the opportunity to strengthen connection with members of the Nauiyu community. Time spent with staff and students at St. Francis Xavier Catholic School running a sports carnival, visits to sacred and historical sites with Senior Australian of the Year (2021), Miriam Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann, and discussions around the importance of Dadirri (Inner Deep listening and Quiet Still Awareness), gave students the opportunity to connect and learn whilst experiencing a taste of life in community and hearing stories from one of the most respected Aboriginal women and teachers in Australia.
Other highlights included the opportunity to kick the football and play basketball with members of the Nauiyu community, a visit to flat rock, berry picking, water lilies on the flood plains, attending the school disco, DJ lessons, and the opportunity to purchase art painted by members of the local community.
This year’s visit also gave SBC the opportunity to continue developing relationships and connections with the Parry Family who established Watjan Tours a few years ago. For the second year Joe and Lucy, members of the Wadeye Community, welcomed us to their homeland and provided students with the unique experience of engaging and immersing themselves whilst learning about local history and traditional Aboriginal ways of life.
Highlights of the time at Watjan included visiting cave paintings, fossil walks, carving didgeridoos, hunting, cooking magpie geese & duck, watching the sunset on the flood plains, a visit to the beach bordered by the Timor Sea, and most significantly nightly talks with Joe and Lucy.
Spending the last two days in Darwin exploring the swimming at Berry Springs, walking the twilight Mindil Markets, watching another amazing sunset, and visiting the Royal Flying Doctor Service, was a relaxing and enjoyable way to end our journey.
Whilst our time away was not without its challenges (relentless heat and red dirt, long challenging drives in hot and sweaty troupes, heat rashes, mosquito and ant bites) these experiences helped to deepen our understanding of the realities of living on country. There is little doubt that making connections with members of both these communities was central to the uniqueness of this opportunity. Nightly yarns and discussions about culture, engaging in men and women’s business, talking about family and traditions, and understanding the importance of respect, are the things that will stay deeply etched within the memories of everyone lucky enough to be involved in this trip.
The SBC immersion program provides students and staff with the opportunity to involve themselves within culture and community, and to learn about cultural traditions and history from traditional owners, elders, and other members of these indigenous communities. It is an integral part of our school’s journey in understanding this country’s indigenous history and gives students the chance to bring back to the college a deeper and richer understanding that they can share with their peers. St. Bernard’s College is committed to developing each student’s understanding of our rich indigenous history, as we all, both indigenous and non-indigenous Australians, move toward shared acknowledgment and acceptance.
In 2024 St. Bernard’s College will again continue the Immersion program, with plans already underway to return to both Nauiyu and Wudicupildiyerr. As we continue to re-establish and expand our F.I.R.E. (Friends Igniting Reconciliation through Education) Carrier program, immersions to Indigenous communities will remain central to enriching and extending the cultural education of our students.
