Top End collaboration on remotest campus
Dr White with the two trainee teachers from Donydji, Sonia Gurrpalan and Joanne Yindiri.
Few people know about La Trobe University’s remotest ‘campus’…
It's an old caravan extended by a canvas annex when Emeritus Scholar Dr Neville White, a distinguished biological anthropologist, and his colleagues and students are in residence.
The location is Donydji in North East Arnhem Land, homeland for about 60 Yolngu people, an area better known as ‘Ten Canoe’ country since the success of the Rolf De Heer and David Gulpilil film of that name.
The van has been there for 28 years, base for many community development projects involving an inspiring ‘outreach’ partnership between traditional Aboriginal people, the University and, in more recent years, the Rotary Club of Melbourne Inc and Vietnam war veterans (see Mittjiwu Djaaka - caring for community).
It’s work that has already led to the award of Member of the Order of Australia to Dr White. In October, he also received the Rotary Club of Melbourne’s Vocational Service Award.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor Belinda Probert recently visited Donydji, learning first-hand what this long-standing collaboration with La Trobe, through Dr White, has meant to this distant Homeland community.
She was accompanied by Dr White and well-known writer and historian, Dr Don Watson, a La Trobe graduate with a strong interest in Aboriginal issues.
‘It became abundantly clear,’ Professor Probert said, ‘that the community believes that the only progress they have made towards a self-sustaining future has been the result of the external partnerships created with Dr White.
‘Above all else, the community want further education and training opportunities for their young people through a partnership with La Trobe.’
To that end, Professor Lorraine Ling, Dean of Education, has made co-operative arrangements with the Northern Territory Department of Education and Training and the Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education for La Trobe to help educate and supervise Indigenous assistant teachers. Eventually the University plans to place some of its own teaching students in remote Indigenous communities as part of their practical experience.
The first steps towards that goal began soon aft er the La Trobe group returned to Melbourne.
It involved two months supervision of two young women from Donydji, Sonia Gurrpalan and Joanne Yindiri, who came to Melbourne to work towards their certificate of teacher education.
Dr White says Ms Yindiri is already an Indigenous Assistant Teacher in the Donydji Homeland Community School. She hopes to complete her teacher training in about six years.
Ms Gurrpalan aims to become a physical education teacher. In 2005 she represented the Northern Territory at the Pan Pacific Games in Melbourne. She achieved this with neither coaching nor sports equipment. During October and November, the two women spent a month each at Arthurs Creek and Doreen Primary Schools near the University’s main Melbourne campus at Bundoora. The Faculty of Education provided a mentor who acted as a guide and helped them through their training.
In June four students of sociologist Dr Alberto Gomes’ extra curricular group, ‘Students for Equality, Sustainability and Peace’, visited Donydji for two weeks, helping with art and literacy programs in the community school. One of the students, Natalie Kellerman, said they were welcomed warmly by the community. ‘Despite all the challenges they face, the Donydji residents remain incredibly positive. We returned strong advocates for homelands.
‘It was an incredibly positive experience, building lasting relationships with the community, with whom we are still in contact via email and phone. Yet it was sobering to see the challenges faced by Indigenous communities choosing to remain on traditional lands.’
In September, two third year archaeology students visited Donydji, along with three teachers and two students from Eltham High School for a cultural and educational exchange. It is hoped that young people from Donydji will take part in a return visit to Eltham High in 2010.
There are plans to extend such visits from the archaeology program and other disciplines next year, and for University staff to work with the younger people of Donydji to develop their skills in cultural heritage management. This, says Dr White, will provide opportunities for the community to earn money from educational and cultural tourism. In return, La Trobe staff and students will gain valuable knowledge from Donydji Elders about traditional Aboriginal culture.
Curator of the University’s art collection, Dr Vince Alessi, is exploring plans for an honours student to go to Arnhem Land to help research and catalogue the University’s collection of Arnhem Land bark paintings.
‘Housed in the Art Museum’s Ethnographic section, they have hardly been used due to the lack of information we have about them. As well as being valuable to the University, information about these bark paintings is of interest to the broader Yolngu community.’
Also on Dr White’s agenda is the extension of links through the University’s linguistics program for research on the threatened dialects spoken at Donydji, as well as placements for Health Sciences students specialising in Indigenous health or remote area nursing, to assist their education and the health of the community.