Term 4, 2008

Tiwi parents want their kids at Downlands, so they have the chance to mix it with non-aboriginal Australians.

We are encouraging Gillian the Downlands Studies Mistress to go up to Nguiu to fine tune the teaching so it leads to employment and contribution.

This term started a week late. Plane fares became impossibly expensive and the few extra days allowed us to stretch scarce resources further - we are paying double what we paid in 2006
The price of oil caused the Tiwi Travel Company to fold, so we needed Charter flights to get kids off Bathurst Island - once again adding to Cost.

We have four kids back. Josetta continues having started at Downlands in August 2006.

We still struggle with the problem of paying flights for kids who do not turn up. This is appalling in our culture, to waste good money on kids who are slack. But then on the other hand, there is so much disarray at Nguiu and despair is so usual.

We continue to work hard with Tiwi parents to make sure we are all doing what we can to build a future for the kids. This is St Vincent de Paul work because it is hard, and our battle is with despair - the suicide rate in outback communities is appauling!

We are using Frequent Flyer miles to get Parents down next month. We need to work carefully together so we do the best

A few silly thoughts from the Edinburgy Writer's festival because mixing between cultures is a juxtapositioning what does not fit:
I saw that show, 50 Things To Do Before You Die. I would have thought the obvious one was 'Shout For Help' - Mark Watson, Rhod Gilbert at the Tron
It's easy to distract fat people. It's a piece of cake - Chris Addison at the Pleasance
If you're being chased by a police dog, try not to go through a tunnel, then on to a little seesaw, then jump through a hoop of fire. They're trained for that - Milton Jones at the Underbelly.
The right to bear arms is slightly less ludicrous than the right to arm bears
- Chris Addison at the Pleasance

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