Category: Walgett

Story courtesy the Koori Mail

A COLLECTION of documentary films that showcase Aboriginal local heroes, made by students from Walgett Community College in NSW in 2017 was screened to a packed room at the Redfern Community Centre in Sydney recently.

Many members of the local Redfern community and other supporters of Show Me The Way met to celebrate the achievements of the Walgett students.

One of the speakers, Aunty Beryl Van Oploo is originally from Walgett

“I work for the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence and Aunty Glendra Stubbs and I hosted the kids up there when they came to Sydney to film at the Australian Museum,” she said. “I’m so proud of the students. Education is the key. If you’ve got an education you’ve got a voice, you’ve got a choice.”

Aunty Beryl will be one of the interviewee role models in the next Show Me The Way – Walgett program starting soon. Based on the success of the 2017 program Show Me The Way will be running programs in Walgett for the next three years.

The film series is available through public libraries or ask your library to purchase a copy via the State Library of NSW.

Show Me The Way is a media partner of the Koori Mail.

Captions

Top Image: L to R: Chris Maguire, General Manager of Show Me The Way, Aunty Beryl Van Oploo, MC Brendan Littlechild, Ronald Briggs from Indigenous Services, State Library of NSW, David Luschwitz, teacher, Walgett Community College and Oriana Acevedo, Public Libraries, State Library of NSW

Lower Image: Auntie Beryl Van Oploo, Speaker and owner of Yaama Catering, who provided the morning tea

Story courtesy of the National Centre for Indigenous Excellence (NCIE)

First Nations staff at the Australian Museum in Sydney have become both role

models and documentary subjects for a group of students from Walgett.

The Year 10 students from Walgett Community College are part of Show Me the

Way, an online mentoring program which includes film workshops producing real

stories about the lives and work of real people – in this case, local Walgett

heroes, and staff at the Australian Museum in Sydney.

The students were in Sydney recently to finalise production of their films as part

of their assessment for the seven-month program.

At a special graduation screening at the Museum, stories from Walgett played on

the big screen showcasing Walgett Community College, Gamilaraay language

learning, Walgett’s community garden, the Walgett AMS, and the First Nations

cultural workers at the Australian Museum.

Students Delta Swan, Theresa Murray, Edward Dodd, Makayla Duffy and Zoe

Provest were present at the film screening and certificate presentation. They

were joined by Aunty Glendra Stubbs and Aunty Beryl Van Oploo from the

National Centre of Indigenous Excellence in Redfern which hosted the Walgett

mob during their Sydney visit. Aunty Glendra who supported the students during

their time at the NCIE also compered the screening.

Photo l-r: Delta Swan, Theresa Murray, Edward Dodd, Anne Dennis, Aunty Beryl

van Oploo, Makayla Duffy, Zoe Provest.

The students were urged on by Anne Dennis, Vice President of the NSW

Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (AECG) and a Gamilaraay woman who’s

lived most of her life in Walgett.

Born on Namoi Reserve, Anne spoke to the audience in her Gamilaraay language,

and reminded us all of the importance of maintaining and speaking language, as

her grandparents were banned from learning or practicing language.

“You have all overcome many challenges to be here, all of the perceptions of

disadvantages that people believe when they hear you come from Walgett. We

are all here to support each other and congratulations!”

The films will be available on a DVD titled,

“Looking Out, Looking In”, which will

be launched in Walgett as part of the 2018 NAIDOC celebrations. This DVD will be

held in state, national and public libraries across Australia.

The online mentoring provided by Australian Museum staff and others for the

Show me the Way Program

will continue through till May 2018.

While the Walgett group were in Sydney, The National Centre of Indigenous

Excellence (NCIE) provided accommodation and evening meals; the Royal

Botanic Gardens gave a deadly bushfood tour; Tribal Warrior hosted a cultural

cruise on Sydney Harbour and Sydney Opera House staff showed the students all

the theatre halls in the building. NCIE’s Indigenous Digital Excellence (IDX)

program also ran an an introduction to robotics workshop and Bangarra will meet

the students at a performance in Dubbo in March 2018.

Photo: Show Me The Way students and staff, Australian Museum mentors and

staff and NCIE supporters give the big W for Walgett at the Show Me The Way

film screening at the Australian Museum in Sydney