Mid Term Break, August 2007

We had an appraisal with the Teacher and the kids. He was able to point out where each was making a contribution and where each had to work harder.

The appraisal was to be shared per phone with the parents when we were back in Brisbane. We find that the parents can make points better, can give better direction and much more emphatically!

The kids did not participate in the Athletics carnival and react at times disobediently to instruction. There are lots of Sudanese kids at Downlands and they participate better and take direction - so culture cannot be the excuse! The parents will hammer this as a Shame Job!

The kids are honorary members of GBJT Tennis at UQ and met up with Damien O'Sullivan how had done a brilliant job directing sports on the Tiwi Islands five years ago. They also ran into Rugby International Tim Horan a Downlands old Boy. They finished up at Mass with Fr Neale Byrne at OLR Kenmore, the parish whose St Vincent de Paul Society is sponsoring the Tiwi Education project.

If you are able to help fund this project, go to Vinnie's website: https://www.vinnies.org.au/show_appeal.cfm?table=appeals&parentid=0&id=43

Term 3, July 2007

We commence this term with two new kids, Sheree and John-Pere. The air fares have gone up prodigeously, three times what we had budgeted. Our Prime Minister has had a focus on NT Aboriginal welfare and it has meant that beaurocrats and journalists are taking up all the plane seats and we had to pay the price. Last term we brought the kids down for $156 per plane fare, this term is was $390.

Thankfully the St V de P Society is backing us up, otherwise the project would be at an end. The Federal AbStudy program pays the fees at Downlands, but they don't pay the plane fares.

AbStudy is structured so a Cape York kid will be flown to Brisbane and a Port Hedland kid to Perth, but a Tiwi can only go to Darwin.

The theory is a sound enough policy: that aborigines will only be educated within their state.

But it makes it tough for NT kid, where the facilities are not equal to the bigger states, and it causes problems because aboriginal parents do not want to send their kids to a Darwin where maurauding drunken relatives are always there pestering.

So, innocently, Federal AbStudy policy mitigates against the population with the highest proportion of Traditional Aborigines - who are denied the opportunity to be educated alongside white Australians!

We have to talk to Government to get them to change this - but ever tried to talk to someone in a deepartment to change government policy ???

The main thing is that the kids are focused, working hard and enjoying their time in Queensland.


If you are able to help us pay the fares to get the kids home at term's end, go to Vinnie's website: https://www.vinnies.org.au/show_appeal.cfm?table=appeals&parentid=0&id=43