End of Term 3

Selina and Noreen are in the air, flying back to Darwin as I type. They have had a great term, they have been a beacon for the other aboriginal kids and have earned good marks.

Wendy and Ellie love having them at home because they are considerate guests and good fun.

Parents should feel proud!

Hey, it is a wig !!

Noreen and Selina were back in Brisbane with us this weekend.

Off to theTennis on Saturday and then the Gabba for Bris Lions on Saturday night.

The Visited the new Brisbane Tennis Centre to be greeted once again by the President of GBJT, Peter Davis.

Peter presented GBJT shirts - as he has for the past four years!

Selina met up with GBJT parent Patricia Sutcliff who had been a student at Downlands in 1996 and is now a Marine Biologist.

Patricia spoke of her job to protect things that live in the sea, living things that could be hurt by pollution.
Selina and Noreen spoke of the shell fish Tiwi eat, called LongBum, and thought the best idea was that they take Patricia out hunting in the Nguiu mangroves where food searching and scientific searching could be done together! Maybe an idea for September!

Selina and Noreen came home to practice their tennis on Sunday morning and then again on Sunday night. Pity aborigines don't get a chance to play tennis - they would be good! Both kids are star athletes !!!

On saturday night it was off to the Gabba, for the Lions v Bulldogs game.

After the game players Todd Banfield andPierce Hanley - were anxious to get autographs from Noreen and Selina. Pierce is the Irish lad who is still learning AFL - we told him to come to Tiwi Islands to learn to play fast and properly!

For the past four years the GBJT kids and parents have been very welcoming of the Tiwi kids.

The Tiwi project is sponsored by Kenmore Parish StVdeP conference and we thought we would give GBJT parents the opportunity to help with the funding.

Visitors from other Schools

Waverley Stanley and kids from various schools came up for a bar-b-que with Tiwi Downlands kids. The other schools were: PLC Armidale, Grammar, Glennie, and Scotch College in Adelaide

Waverly runs a good program and some Tiwi kids from Milikapiti kids are with him, in school at Armidale.

The Assistant Principal of Downlands, Gillian, is coming to Nguiu in two weeks time. She is coming to meet with the parents and to learn so Downlands does the best ever job with your kids.  Danny Munkara, Noel Puntulura and Matthew Wonnameri are to meet with Gillian.

The Downlands girls are really doing well and impressing everyone, but the boys are still missing classes. I will ring the parents during this week to talk about this problem.  Downlands is a wonderful opportunity for Tiwi boys, but they have to put in and Work Hard!

I think Gillian's visit will be important and it would be good if you could somehow get her over to Melville Island to meet Thomas, Matthew and Roseabell

I still need photos of parents so I can get fundraise money for the fares home.

I will ring you about this also during the week.

Waverley runs Yarari. They have up to seventy aboriginal kids in various schools across Australia. Waverly received a scholarship to Toowoomba Grammar and did remarkably well. Now he is making sure other aboriginal kids get the opportunity he was given!  

You can read about Waverley and his wife Llew at  of http://www.yalari.org/index.php

Parents don't forget about getting an Email Account. We want Tiwi kids to be using email and it all helps with the writing skills. Eusebia will show you, just go to the following website, and you get a free Google Account:

 https://www.google.com/accounts/NewAccount?service=mail&continue=http://mail.google.com/mail/e-11-ba1d382828a97fe2459e690a8cd3d-c19ba0b083a4f7666d23d73b662ab71b09459602&type=2

We drove up to Toowoomba to support the kids. There is still some homesickness, but I think things are getting better.

We have to get a mobile for Wilfred. Bonita has hers - thanks to Rollo. Bonita really looks happy and good.

The others are going about their work and Mark and Isadore are trying to settle down to work.

We started this scheme three years ago, when Noel asked Wendy if the kids could come down here for school.

We all know it is better for the kids down here, but at the start of each term they are homesick.

Parents need to keep on encouraging and it is going to be hard because they wont be back with you until June.

The kids are all safe here and they are well fed, what we have to do now is to encourage them to work hard.

I have been involved in this since Marius and the boys first went to Monivae in 1970 and I think we need to really go for it now so we can make it educationally.

You only have to look at the smiles to know good things are happening!

What we must do now is to push on so kids get Qualified!

It is possible for the kids to start a TAFE course while at school - and if we get half the course done down here, it can be finished in a couple of years in Darwin.

I am trying to get the kids to use email. Only Noreen is obliging now. I think you should send them emails and let them write back - it all helps develop the writing skills.

When you speak on the phone next time, ask that they send you a photo - anything.  We will get the writing going after.

Get yourself an email by pressing the blue words at the end of last weeks bulletin.

Everyone is settling down

Visited Downlands today. Kids were happier - homesickness is a short term pain.

Now is the time for kids to settle down, obey the school rules and concentrate on doing good work.

Not much sport being done at present. Pity, they should be joining in scratch basketball games.

Missed Wilfred today, he had gone down town with some of his mates.  Good news that he is well occupied.

Bonita will have a phone this week - Rollo has posted it from Darwin.

We are organising so the kids can have a bank account as well - normally you have to have 100points of i.d. - passport, drivers license etc - the Commonwealth Bank realizes kids can't get these 100points so they accept our word.

I have been asking the kids to start using email. So far it is only Noreen who is writing.  I told them that if they start writing email, the parents would respond.  If you don't have a Tiwi email, you can have a Google account - much better anyway, because it cuts out all the rubbish messages.  Go to the website below to start (just press the green print): https://www.google.com/accounts/NewAccount?service=mail&continue=http://mail.google.com/mail/e-11-ba1d382828a97fe2459e690a8cd3d-c19ba0b083a4f7666d23d73b662ab71b09459602&type=2

Email is a good way of contacting with home and you help the kids by responding to their messages. Email is the main communication in Australia, aboriginal people have to start using it as well. 

Pretty Bad Homesick

The kids are hit pretty hard with homesickness. The second group only arrived a week ago, then they had a weekend with Karla, after which the homesickness was double strength.

Kids who like their parents feel homesickness worse - so back them up hard.  You sent them to Downlands so they can have a live. Now is the time to give good encouragement.

Bonita was good today - she said that it was their job to keep the school rules. That is what she was going to do!

Everyone is settling-in well - there is still homesickness, but they will be past that in a week or so.

They are happy the way the other kids are treating them, the school work is good and the food and accommodation is great.

They spent this homeweekend with Karla, the local aboriginal liaison person - a great woman.

The big job is now for parents to support the kids by encouraging them, most have mobile phones, so you can ring them. they need a bit of money.

They need a bit of money, but don't send too much money for all kids will spent big on fatty things that are no good.

I need photos of each of you parents! I am posting letters trying to get families to give $100 each to pay for plane fares and warm clothes. I need 40 families for each kid - that is 320 families to support our 8 Tiwi at Downlands.

I need photos because you are the parents, and you want Downlands for your kids - and people here will respond when they know they are helping a Tiwi Dad and Mum give their kid a chance.

The Kids know they won't be home until June, but the Brisbane Lions will help us with Gabba tickets and we will get to see the team at training.

It is a tough time for getting money and the kids know they cannot come down for funerals, but Fr John is saying a mass each week for Tiwi who are sick and dying - and the whole school with give extra help when a close relative dies. Fr John is an MSC and his order has been with Tiwi since Bishop Gzell arrived.

They had the Swimming Carnival last week - the kids enjoyed themselves. 

I have posted you copies of the School Prospectus and the Annual for 2008 so you can know more of Downlands College in Toowoomba.