SCEGGS Stories of Immersion in Indigenous Australia

We hope you enjoy reading a range of reflections about Stories of Immersion in Indigenous Australia from the students this week. For the previous week’s reflections see here.

Reflections from the Cape York Immersion

Cape York was an experience which I will never forget and will forever be grateful for. It exposed me to so many great experiences such as electronic freedom, meeting new people, being away from civilisation, getting to know everyone at the homelands like the traditional owners and their nieces, nephews, sons, and daughters. I really got to know Alex from Binthi-Warra who I got to have just nice and casual chats with. One of the big things I really enjoyed was making the didgeridoo with Joe, going on a walk around the land and learning about all different kinds of things, and going fishing in the river even though we weren’t overly too successful. One thing I found very interesting was how we have one massive store or multiple stores dedicated for only one or two purposes, but for the traditional owners they had everything on their land. They thought of their forest as a cabinet which had everything that they needed – like soap, medicine, and food.

Both homelands really helped me reflect on how lucky we are. At the end of leaving both homelands we got to ask questions, one of those questions was “why do you offer your land to us and let us on your land and learn about it?”. Their answer was basically saying that we are sometimes the voice when they can’t have one, and that really has stuck with me, especially at this time in Australia. Along with the meaningful experience, I also had some very funny ones, things such as; playing touch every day with Raiden and Franklin; playing and teaching cards to a variety of people; making bracelets with Aunty Julie; going silent and no one moving in the tent mid playing cards because we can hear a teacher coming (especially Ms Ziesel with her green light); playing the pen game for hours; going for a swim in the creeks, overall just making and getting to know all the girls we went on the trip with. This overall experience I will forever hold very close to my heart and also reflect on in my future to come.

Ava Weekes
Year 9

Spending 10 days in Cape York was an incredibly rewarding experience that I will never forget. I have made memories that will definitely be some of my favourites from my secondary school life. In the two Homelands that we visited, Yungee and Loggy-Crossing, I learnt so much that has really benefitted my understanding of Indigenous Australian culture and connection to country and how important it is to understand in order to move towards reconciliation. The immersion was not only informative and educational, but it really impacted me on a deeper level too that is hard to put into words. Not only did I become closer with the amazing teachers and the girls in my group, but I feel I have a connection to the places we went to and the incredible people we met. 

We started the immersion bright and early at Sydney airport before finally arriving at our first Homeland, Yungee. At Yungee we met Des and Estelle and their large family and were greeted with a traditional smoking ceremony and welcome to Country. Throughout our few days spent here, we were able to have meaningful conversations with Des and Estelle about the history of their land, their pasts, their hopes for the future and the importance of their culture to them. Their daughter Judy took us on a walk and taught us about many things including totems, traditional practices, and close encounters with crocodiles. On one of the days, we had a reflection and we talked about our intentions for the trip. I said that I wanted to remain open to trying new things and that I wanted to have a deeper understanding and appreciation of culture and language to take back to Sydney and to also become a more open and informed person. Looking back, I would like to think I have achieved this after doing things I never thought I would do like eating ants off a tree and plucking up the courage to talk to someone I didn’t know very well about different things. I have been able to tell people at home, experiences and perspectives from Des and Estelle and their family.

One of the most rewarding parts of the immersion was the community project that we helped complete at Yungee. While a couple of us cleaned and painted the house belonging to the family, others helped build a new camp kitchen for the site. It was really great to get hands on and do something for the family as a way of thanking them for letting us stay on their land. One of the best feelings was seeing Estelle and the kids’ faces light up when they saw the new, bright kitchen painted blue.

We said a tearful goodbye to the family at Yungee. Estelle said, ‘if you got your blood and my blood, they would be the same because we are family.’ That was really special and made me think about the connections I had made to this place and these people. It was sad to say goodbye and we didn’t think we would have any room left in our hearts to love the next Homeland as much as we loved Yungee, but we were wrong.

After a beautiful stop at Isabella Falls and a visit to Hopevale Art Centre, we arrived at Loggy crossing to set up the tents again. We met Elders, Dora and Trev and their beautiful granddaughters Nova and Chate. That night they got their guitars and sang us some beautiful songs together which might have to be my favourite memory from the whole trip because of how peaceful and moving it was. It made me think about how grateful I was to be having this experience and how nice it is to be all together. The next morning, we had a Welcome to Country ceremony followed by various fun activities curated by Dora and her daughter Tammy who both have teaching backgrounds. We did things from scavenger hunting to weaving, leaning language, spear making, and frying damper. Through these traditional cultural practices, we got a better understanding of the importance of teaching younger generations these skills, so they won’t be forgotten.

Saying farewell to Dora, Trev and their family was just as hard as before. They were such incredibly easy to talk to people who were more than happy to answer our questions and talk about their experiences. It was sad to know that our journey was coming to an end.

Although there were challenges along the way, (in the form of flooded tents and spreading sickness), spending 10 days in Cape York was one of the most meaningful and rewarding experiences I think I will ever have. I would like to take what I have learnt and contribute to making a change in Australian society by sharing what I have discovered and contributing to the conversation. I feel lucky to have been able to speak to Indigenous Elders in far north Queensland to hear their stories and experiences to work towards reconciliation through education and understanding the importance of culture. I think it’s important to share knowledge in order to break down false stereotypes of Indigenous people that are present today. One of the things I valued the most and miss most now on the Immersion was how we were able to stay present and in the moment and focus on what was happening then, not the future. I hope that I will get the chance to have a similar experience again and that I will revisit the beautiful region of Cape York.

Isobel Murray
Year 10

Reflections from the Top End Immersion

The Top End Immersion was one of the most challenging but rewarding experiences I have ever had. Despite the incredibly hot and tiring days, it was such a worthwhile experience to receive firsthand education on Indigenous culture, spirituality, traditions, and issues. I feel so grateful to have had such meaningful and insightful conversations with the Indigenous people of Nauiyu and Barnatjal, who shared aspects of their lives and culture with us. The immersion really made me aware of the privilege I have and to never take that for granted. It has really forced me to focus on being mindful in my every day and spending more time with my family, after seeing the deep connection the communities had to their families. I discovered how rich their culture and spirit still is, as before witnessing it I had assumed that most of it had faded with the influx of westernisation, but it was beautiful to see their everyday and traditional practices that keep them so connected. Also, the active teaching of their culture to the younger generations was incredible to see – for example, the teaching of the didgeridoo from an Indigenous elder to his son.

One of my biggest takeaways from the trip was the power of having a conversation and sharing these stories that I have experienced and witnessed. That we can make such a difference in our lives just by educating people about these communities and the hardships they face. I believe reconciliation does not have one answer, but a large component is going on with these immersions and actively educating ourselves on Indigenous affairs and how to help. This immersion has made me much more mindful of how I want to help Indigenous Australians in their fight for equality and how that starts with education. I am immensely grateful for this opportunity that I was given, and I know it is an experience that I will take with me through life, as well as making me more mindful in my approach to reconciliation.

Selena Hughes
Year 11