Immersion Experiences

Words by Gemma McDermott and Felicity Knobel

Tiwi Island Immersion Experience

Loreto College Ballarat are committed to developing positive and mutually beneficial relationships with Indigenous Communities through the experience of immersions. The Loreto values are at the very heart of these experiences and particularly in 2023 in the year of Justice. Immersions provide a powerful transformational experience for students and can help students better understand their world and the role they have in it.

During May, 11 Year 10 students and three staff members from Loreto College embarked on an experience of a lifetime to Tiwi Islands with Catholic Mission Facilitator Bernadette Sullivan.

After spending 2 days in Darwin, visiting Nungalinya College, a place that embraces and empowers Indigenous Christians through leadership courses on Art, Faith and Wellbeing, the group caught a ferry to Bathurst Island in Tiwi. Once on the island we spent 8 days immersed in the daily runnings of Xavier

Catholic College as well as aspects within the local community. On Tiwi it is a known fact they have two religions, their Catholic faith and AFL, so it was a wonderful opportunity for the students and staff to experience a few games of local footy.

Over the week the Loreto College students got to know a lot of the local children who attended the College. They experienced classes in the preschool, primary and secondary areas of the school and looked forward to every afternoon, after the final bell, to play on the oval with the primary school children. The students learned a great deal about indigenous culture and the Tiwi people, who belong to one of the oldest indigenous communities. Before leaving, we were invited to a women’s yarn circle where there was singing, dancing as part of a traditional farewell. Some students would like to return to Tiwi when they leave school, as the adventure proved to be life changing. They have expressed how grateful they are for the opportunity and are richer for the experience.

Daly River Immersion Experience

During June, 15 Year 9 students and three staff members travelled to the Nauiyu Community (Daly River) in the Northern Territory immersing themselves in our First Nations culture. These educational experiences for our students and our staff and ultimately for our Loreto community are powerfully transformational experiences where we can build positive relationships, build understanding and show our students how to live out our Loreto values in the wider world.

Our students had the opportunity to be out on country cooking kangaroo tail and damper, picking bush plums and importantly receiving a welcome that involved water being placed on their heads and belly buttons as a way of mixing their souls and the souls of the country to tell the students that their ancestors have given permission to be there.

Here are some reflections from some of the students who were on the tour:

‘It was an eye opening trip that I will only ever have one chance to experience. I will remember the way that all of the kids welcomed us and the overwhelming happiness they felt when they were out on country. I met a 6-year-old who know everything there was to know about cooking turtle and another girl who was an amazing damper cook’. Alice McKenzie.

‘It was a once in a life time opportunity, at first I was challenged by being so far away from home. But as soon as your step into the community you get the biggest welcoming into the community and it starts to feel like your whole new family. It I could go back I would just make the absolute most of the time and jump into every opportunity that is given to me’. Molly Hudson.

‘One of my favourite memories when visiting the community was seeing how happy and appreciative the kids were. I loved the funny little things I would hear them say and see them do; such as making little cubby houses in the classrooms with the fluffy blankets we brought them’. Georgie Nash

‘Something I found really interesting is how much of a familly and how close everyone in the community was, another thing that will stay with me forever is seeing how happy everyone was and how greatful they all were for the little things in life’. Neve Griffiths