News and Events
Warning: please be aware that the following may contain references to people who are deceased.
Grey nomads continue their INSTEP journey across the top end
Last year INSTEP volunteers Noelene and Peter Brasche took on the challenge of re-establishing the Mungullah breakfast and lunch club to encourage students in this small WA Aboriginal community to attend school.
Now in 2011 they are travelling across the top end of the country and are lending a hand in two Aboriginal communities on opposite sides of the country.
They have just completed four weeks volunteering at Hope Vale (Eastern Cape York) after travelling from the Central Coast.
Peter supervised a “Green Army team of 10 people developing interpretive signage and walkways at Elim Beach (located about an hour’s drive from Hope Vale).
Elim, Cape Bedford was the original site of the Lutheran Church mission prior to World War II and the building of the Hope Vale community.
The aim for the area is to reflect the Guugu Yimidithirr culture by using native bush plants and interpretive signs.
The Council sees it as an attraction for tourists to supplement the Arts Centre, Aboriginal cave painting and bush tucker tours.
Noelene’s first task was to photo document NAIDOC week celebrations in Hope Vale. Highlights of the event were the baby show, traditional dancing, Mr and Mrs NAIDOC week fashion parade and the spear throwing contest.
“To me it has been about a celebration of pride and it was fun to be part of it. - Noelene
Noelene relates: “Next we talked about the older members of the community and the need to set down some of their stories which are an essential part of the social history of the Guugu Yimidithirr people. The serendipity of my Doctorate involving Indigenous Life Narratives and my nursing involvement with older people made the task very attractive. We thought it might make an additional NAIDOC activity and called it the ‘My Story Project’.
“The most important achievement for me in my time at Hope Vale was the documenting of the significant life stories of two of the elders of the community and assisting another lady (an artist) who had sketched out her life story as well as documenting her husband’s story. These fragments needed a lot of editing and I’m pleased that she was happy with the end result. It would be inappropriate to name these people, however, one was the first Aboriginal Lutheran Pastor in Australia and I feel so privileged to have spent time with him. Two of the stories have been deposited in the Knowledge Centre and it is our hope that this project will be carried on by others.
Noelene and Peter are now travelling across the top end of Australia to the WA Aboriginal community of Kandiwal. Kandiwal is a very small and remote community in the Mitchell Plateau region of the Kimberley. For more information about this project please see Volunteering Opportunities below.
In May 2011 Joan Sweet travelled from Melbourne to spend two weeks at Wontulp-Bi-Buya College in Cairns. Joan has developed an excellent relationship with the college where she has made enduring friendships with a number of staff and students.
She acts as an in-class tutor assisting students through the curriculum by helping them to understand their coursework and relate it to their practical experience in their communities.
Joan was pleased to spend Reconciliation Week in Cairns. Joan said “Two of our elders spoke at St Monica’s High School assembly. Both Clare and Betty bravely told of being stolen from family and very cruelly treated in a girls’ home.
Betty spent eight years in and out of hospital for skin grafts after the matron held her arm in boiling water. Both have long since forgiven and committed their lives to making a difference for their people. They are amazingly accepting of me.
Joan said “It was necessary for me to share my time between Diploma students in a new classroom at Tropicana Lodge and Certificate 4 students around the block at the Lutheran church.
It was left up to me to decide, day by day where I was most needed. Overall my reward is still the genuine affection from students I have worked with for three years and to be a small part of some very good individual progress.
Brian and Keiko Tate travelled from the Gold Coast to volunteer in Exmouth (WA) in May 2011 for three weeks. Brian worked with Ann Preest, Chairperson of the North West Cape Exmouth Aboriginal Corporation (NWCEAC).
This project was aimed at building the capacity of the Aboriginal Corporation in the areas of office management, grants and the development and negotiation of contracts with tourism and mining organisations.
The Corporation sees education and training of Aboriginal people in their local culture, whilst remaining on their traditional land, as a way of building and sustaining their own tourism outlets distinct from commercial operators.
NWCEAC now have a number of priorities they are seeking to address in order to achieve these goals.
Their most immediate need is to address their requirements for an appropriate office space with administration support and office assistance.
This will require funding and volunteer assistance. Brian will continue to advise and assist Ann and NWCEAC remotely with the aim of addressing these needs and assisting with ongoing negotiations. This is Brian and Keiko’s third placement with INSTEP.
Ray Rowe has again travelled from Sydney to Hope Vale where he spent three months from November 2010 to February 2011.
Ray is a plumber and handyman and was able to assist the community with a number of maintenance tasks.
He also installed the irrigation system for the new banana plantation and did repair work on the caretaker’s house adjacent to the banana plantation.
As Hope Vale is not generally affected by cyclones this is a big opportunity for the community to become a reliable supplier of bananas for the region.
This is Ray’s fourth placement in Hope Vale.
We are pleased to announce that National Seniors Australia was a finalist in the Queensland Reconciliation Awards 2011.
This is the second consecutive year National Seniors has been acknowledged for its contribution to reconciliation.
This was a great acknowledgement of the efforts of all of our volunteers who have made a contribution towards reconciliation through INSTEP.
Help kids living in Alice Springs
The Yipirinya School at Alice Springs is seeking volunteers to assist in a number of areas to assist students and staff.
We are seeking volunteers with skills in teaching, ESL, in-classroom support and supervision.
Volunteers are also sought to provide workshops on art, music, sport, cooking, vocational experiences or other engaging extra-curricular activities.
The school would like volunteers with experience in behaviour management issues that arise from students finding themselves in very dysfunctional living conditions.
Volunteers are also needed to provide advice on how to promote the school and source funding for the various programs that they run.
INSTEP and Kimberley School of the Air are seeking volunteers to assist at a school in an Aboriginal community on the picturesque Mitchell plateau – an area rich with history and cultural significance.
Kandiwal is seeking volunteers to assist with the tuition of 14 children from kindergarten to year 7 and two students of secondary school age. Currently one grandparent in the community (Pat Goonack) is undertaking this task.
Volunteers will tutor students of varying ages from ESL backgrounds with their literacy and numeracy and assist in the delivery of their daily lessons.
As a result of extreme shortages of accommodation in the community, volunteers in this region are required to have a 4WD vehicle and off-road van.
We are currently seeking volunteers for several placements in Kandiwal (WA), Hope Vale (QLD), Warrawong (NSW), Rothbury (NSW), Alice Springs (NT) and Utopia (NT).
Those interested please read more about our INSTEP volunteering here.
If you would like to volunteer for any of the above positions or would like further information please contact us by email or phone 07 3233 9131 or 1300 883 752 (toll free).
Grey nomads continue their INSTEP journey across the top end
Last year INSTEP volunteers Noelene and Peter Brasche took on the challenge of re-establishing the Mungullah breakfast and lunch club to encourage students in this small WA Aboriginal community to attend school.
Now in 2011 they are travelling across the top end of the country and are lending a hand in two Aboriginal communities on opposite sides of the country.
They have just completed four weeks volunteering at Hope Vale (Eastern Cape York) after travelling from the Central Coast.
Peter supervised a “Green Army team of 10 people developing interpretive signage and walkways at Elim Beach (located about an hour’s drive from Hope Vale).
Elim, Cape Bedford was the original site of the Lutheran Church mission prior to World War II and the building of the Hope Vale community.
The aim for the area is to reflect the Guugu Yimidithirr culture by using native bush plants and interpretive signs.
The Council sees it as an attraction for tourists to supplement the Arts Centre, Aboriginal cave painting and bush tucker tours.
Noelene’s first task was to photo document NAIDOC week celebrations in Hope Vale. Highlights of the event were the baby show, traditional dancing, Mr and Mrs NAIDOC week fashion parade and the spear throwing contest.
“To me it has been about a celebration of pride and it was fun to be part of it. - Noelene
Noelene relates: “Next we talked about the older members of the community and the need to set down some of their stories which are an essential part of the social history of the Guugu Yimidithirr people. The serendipity of my Doctorate involving Indigenous Life Narratives and my nursing involvement with older people made the task very attractive. We thought it might make an additional NAIDOC activity and called it the ‘My Story Project’.
“The most important achievement for me in my time at Hope Vale was the documenting of the significant life stories of two of the elders of the community and assisting another lady (an artist) who had sketched out her life story as well as documenting her husband’s story. These fragments needed a lot of editing and I’m pleased that she was happy with the end result. It would be inappropriate to name these people, however, one was the first Aboriginal Lutheran Pastor in Australia and I feel so privileged to have spent time with him. Two of the stories have been deposited in the Knowledge Centre and it is our hope that this project will be carried on by others.
Noelene and Peter are now travelling across the top end of Australia to the WA Aboriginal community of Kandiwal. Kandiwal is a very small and remote community in the Mitchell Plateau region of the Kimberley. For more information about this project please see Volunteering Opportunities below.
Joan returns to Wontulp (Cairns)
In May 2011 Joan Sweet travelled from Melbourne to spend two weeks at Wontulp-Bi-Buya College in Cairns. Joan has developed an excellent relationship with the college where she has made enduring friendships with a number of staff and students.
She acts as an in-class tutor assisting students through the curriculum by helping them to understand their coursework and relate it to their practical experience in their communities.
Joan was pleased to spend Reconciliation Week in Cairns. Joan said “Two of our elders spoke at St Monica’s High School assembly. Both Clare and Betty bravely told of being stolen from family and very cruelly treated in a girls’ home.
Betty spent eight years in and out of hospital for skin grafts after the matron held her arm in boiling water. Both have long since forgiven and committed their lives to making a difference for their people. They are amazingly accepting of me.
Joan said “It was necessary for me to share my time between Diploma students in a new classroom at Tropicana Lodge and Certificate 4 students around the block at the Lutheran church.
It was left up to me to decide, day by day where I was most needed. Overall my reward is still the genuine affection from students I have worked with for three years and to be a small part of some very good individual progress.
Supporting training and tourism in exmouth
Brian and Keiko Tate travelled from the Gold Coast to volunteer in Exmouth (WA) in May 2011 for three weeks. Brian worked with Ann Preest, Chairperson of the North West Cape Exmouth Aboriginal Corporation (NWCEAC).
This project was aimed at building the capacity of the Aboriginal Corporation in the areas of office management, grants and the development and negotiation of contracts with tourism and mining organisations.
The Corporation sees education and training of Aboriginal people in their local culture, whilst remaining on their traditional land, as a way of building and sustaining their own tourism outlets distinct from commercial operators.
NWCEAC now have a number of priorities they are seeking to address in order to achieve these goals.
Their most immediate need is to address their requirements for an appropriate office space with administration support and office assistance.
This will require funding and volunteer assistance. Brian will continue to advise and assist Ann and NWCEAC remotely with the aim of addressing these needs and assisting with ongoing negotiations. This is Brian and Keiko’s third placement with INSTEP.
Bananas thriving at Hope Vale
Ray Rowe has again travelled from Sydney to Hope Vale where he spent three months from November 2010 to February 2011.
Ray is a plumber and handyman and was able to assist the community with a number of maintenance tasks.
He also installed the irrigation system for the new banana plantation and did repair work on the caretaker’s house adjacent to the banana plantation.
As Hope Vale is not generally affected by cyclones this is a big opportunity for the community to become a reliable supplier of bananas for the region.
This is Ray’s fourth placement in Hope Vale.
Finalists in Reconciliation Awards
We are pleased to announce that National Seniors Australia was a finalist in the Queensland Reconciliation Awards 2011.
This is the second consecutive year National Seniors has been acknowledged for its contribution to reconciliation.
This was a great acknowledgement of the efforts of all of our volunteers who have made a contribution towards reconciliation through INSTEP.
Help kids living in Alice Springs
The Yipirinya School at Alice Springs is seeking volunteers to assist in a number of areas to assist students and staff.
We are seeking volunteers with skills in teaching, ESL, in-classroom support and supervision.
Volunteers are also sought to provide workshops on art, music, sport, cooking, vocational experiences or other engaging extra-curricular activities.
The school would like volunteers with experience in behaviour management issues that arise from students finding themselves in very dysfunctional living conditions.
Volunteers are also needed to provide advice on how to promote the school and source funding for the various programs that they run.
Unique volunteering opportunity
INSTEP and Kimberley School of the Air are seeking volunteers to assist at a school in an Aboriginal community on the picturesque Mitchell plateau – an area rich with history and cultural significance.
Kandiwal is seeking volunteers to assist with the tuition of 14 children from kindergarten to year 7 and two students of secondary school age. Currently one grandparent in the community (Pat Goonack) is undertaking this task.
Volunteers will tutor students of varying ages from ESL backgrounds with their literacy and numeracy and assist in the delivery of their daily lessons.
As a result of extreme shortages of accommodation in the community, volunteers in this region are required to have a 4WD vehicle and off-road van.
INSTEP is seeking volunteers
We are currently seeking volunteers for several placements in Kandiwal (WA), Hope Vale (QLD), Warrawong (NSW), Rothbury (NSW), Alice Springs (NT) and Utopia (NT).
Those interested please read more about our INSTEP volunteering here.
If you would like to volunteer for any of the above positions or would like further information please contact us by email or phone 07 3233 9131 or 1300 883 752 (toll free).
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