Cape York 2024 Student Immersion
We continue to share the personal reflections and photos from the students who were on this year’s immersion to Traditional Homelands in Cape York. This week we hope you enjoy the reflections from Georgia Alexandra Bradley (Year 10) Jessica Venetoulis (Year 9) Mia Tam (Year 10).
For the previous week’s reflections see here.
Carol Bloomfield
Head of Student Wellbeing Programs
Reflections from the Cape York Immersion
From 29 September to 7 October, we ventured to the furthest part of Australia I have ever been to. Here we got to be apart of the experience of a lifetime. Cape York has not only changed me as a person, but it has also impacted how I see my everyday life. It has changed my values, my friendships and has made me a significantly more sentimental and knowledgeable person.
Going into this experience, I had mixed emotions. I was extremely excited but also extremely nervous to be far away from my family, from my friends staying in Sydney and to be going to a remote location with people I had never met or people I had only ever heard about or seen at school but as soon as we stepped on to our first homeland at Wurrey to when we left Melsonby I knew this would be something to treasure forever.
For me, some of the most memorable experiences which came from this immersion included seeing rock paintings at Melsonby and learning about how ochre was used as a paint, playing in the creek at Wurrey and going on many walks as a group with our Traditional Owners. The Traditional Owners who welcomed us to their land truly taught us things I will never forget and made this experience something like no other.
I will forever be grateful for the friends I made on this experience and the connections I have built with other SCEGGS girls and teachers and for gaining such a profound deeper understanding for the meaning of culture and land for Indigenous Australians.
I have returned to Sydney with a deeper understanding of culture and how we in Sydney should be committing further to Reconciliation in order to help share this knowledge and help others to gain a deeper understanding of this land because sovereignty was never ceded and Indigenous Australians deserve recognition for their land and for their history. This understanding stems from the knowledge I have gained from this experience through the questions my group and I asked, the stories we were told, the incredible artwork we saw, and the innovation in creating huts and other things using natural resources like leaves.
I think everyone should take an opportunity such as Cape York and participate in it for so many reasons.
Georgia Alexandra Bradley
Year 10 Student
Journal Entry – Waking up at 5AM to watch the sunrise at Kalkajaka
We woke up to the teachers waking everybody who wanted to go watch the sunrise at the bottom of Kalkajaka (Black Mountain). At first I wasn’t keen on going because I’m not a morning person, however I thought it would be cool and also, why not? It’s an experience that I’m never going to be able to undergo again, so I decided to get ready and crowd around to go down.
The walk down was quiet because everybody was still waking up, but it was like earth was waking up with us. Birds were out singing their songs, the sound of the water dripping down into the flowing river, and I remembered what Ian said about how it looks and sounds when its wet season. It was a calming, and self-centring sound that I wish we could have back in Sydney. We walked past the river, and up the small hills towards the base of Kalkajaka. The sun was already up by the time we arrived there, hitting the rocks just at the right angle. I could still hear the water running from the river as Abby, Michaela, Annie and I sat on the rocks, starting to write in our journals.
Jessica Venetoulis
Year 9 Student
My visit to Cape York has really shaped my understanding of Indigenous Australia. The Traditional Owners are very welcoming and love to share their stories about their Land and their past and are very proud of their Country. After 9 days I have learnt more about their language and their culture. The people we met were very kind and welcoming and shared many stories about their childhood, land, beliefs and we also did lots of activities.
While I was there I learnt how to say how are you “wantharra” and that “nhamagarra” means ‘see you later’; rather than goodbye. I also discovered more about the Dreamtime stories that were written by Uncle Bernie and that green ants taste like lollies. I will share with others their love of nature and their Land and their proud past and heritage. From what I have learnt and experienced I would encourage others to visit and also take the opportunity to join one of the immersions. I will play my in part moving forward in the drive towards Reconciliation by helping in awareness and promote conversations that will lead to change.
Mia Tam
Year 10 Student
