Immersions __________________________________Page

St Joseph’s College continues to develop a strong connection with the First People of Australia through the different Indigenous immersions and exchanges the students can participate in annually.

TIWI ISLAND

During Activities week this year Mr Wedding, Ms Cameron and Mr Jansen facilitated 12 Year 11 boys on the Community Service Northern Territory experience. The highlight for the students was staying on Bathurst Island at the Xavier College and playing dodgeball with the students.

DALY RIVER

In the last week of Term 2 Mr Holt, Mr Adams and Ms Salcombe departed with 13 Year 10 students on the Daly River Immersion. They spent the majority of their time in the community in Nauiyu, Daly River and enjoyed interacting with the locals through hunting experiences and the Welcome to Country.

YEPPOON

Ten students from the Westcourt Campus stayed at St Brendan’s, an EREA school located in central QLD. They visited Great Keppel Island and participated in a range of activities including shooting, visiting a crocodile farm and attending a rodeo.

TIMOR LESTE

For the first time in the history of St Joseph’s College we ran a student immersion to Timor Leste. In this experience we use the word immersion, rather than trip, to indicate that we are not travelling as tourists but rather as guests. In an immersion the participants are learning more from the locals than they are of us. We are conscious to not make judgements on how the local people could do it better or do it ‘our way’ but rather we are there to learn from them and to understand how we could enjoy life from a different perspective.

- Rachel Roche, Director of Identity

Below is Nathan Rivalland’s account of the experience:

From the 7 - 16 July, St Joseph’s College Year 11 students Lachy Barnett, Harry Bateman, Jacob Loughnan and myself went on an immersion to Timor Leste. The trip was accompanied by Ms Roche and Old Collegian James Palmer who has visited Timor Leste many times and knows tetun, the local language. Timor Leste is one of Australia’s closest neighbours, which is only a 5 hour plane ride yet the two countries are worlds apart. When we arrived into Dili (the capital city) we were shocked at how friendly all the people were and their eagerness to greet us. As well as spending four days in Dili we spent the bulk of Daly River our trip in Viqueque. Viqueque is a small village 180km from Dili but takes 6 hours to drive due to the difficult road conditions. In Viqueque we stayed at the orphanage and played with the kids and taught English at Viqueque 01 school. The food in Timor Leste exceeded our expectations. Meals mainly consisted of rice, chicken, noodles and steamed vegetables. The Timorese love their sport and adventure. The locals always wanted to play with us and show us around. Notable differences between Timor Leste and Australia were the toilets, which were basically holes in the ground that you had to scoop water into to flush them; the people all said hello even if they had no idea who you were; and everyone was eager to get an education and learn. A highlight of the trip was visiting the caves where the Timorese Resistant fighters hid in for many years whilst fighting the Indonesian Invasion. Swimming in the river at Loi Huno, playing soccer with the locals, walking to the Christo Rei statue and playing cards with the awesome kids at the orphanage were also memorable experiences. It was also very rewarding to be able to provide friendship and English to people who were so keen to be around us. This immersion made us realize how fortunate we are in Australia and how rewarding and fun it is to help and entertain others through sport and education.

- Nathan Rivalland, Year 11

Yeppoon

Daly River

Tiwi Islands Timor Leste Yeppoon