NEWS
A stronger, smarter Start
Childcare Manager Annie Baragud is leading the way in early years education on Iama. in two or more areas (compared with 13.8% in Queensland) • Stronger improvement was reported in island communities in the Torres Strait region. What is the AEDI? The AEDI is a population-based measure of how children have developed by the time they start school. It looks at five areas of early childhood development: physical health and wellbeing, social competence, emotional maturity, language and cognitive skills, and communication skills and general knowledge. In both the 2009 and 2012 surveys, data was collected from school teachers, who completed a checklist for all children in their first year of full-time school. PRESTIGE HOUSE FOR RENT Data compiled for Torres Strait Region • 4 Bedroom • Air Conditioned includes all Torres Strait • Near new quality home • Tri level Island communities as well as the far northern • High up on Hargrave Street • Open plan with cape york. stunning views • Quality fit out For more informaCall 0427 533 081 tion, or to see the full report and community Or email info@southsideinn.com.au profiles, visit the AEDI webiste: www.rch.org. au/aedi/ AEDI data comparisons 2012 results showed a signficant overall reduction in the number of children dentified as developmentally vulnerable across all five areas of the early childhood development Our suppliers will be here so come get yourself a bargain! compared with 2009. Thursday Physical health and Island wellbeing: 5.35% imServicing the provement. Torres Strait & Outer Islands Social competence: 6.9% improvement. Emotional maturity: 11.6% improvement. Language and cognitive skills: 21.7% improvement. Communication skills and general knowledge: 91 Douglas Street • Ph: 4069 1548 10.6% improvement.
STRAIT Start is celebrating as the Australian Early Development Index (AEDI) concludes that young children of the Torres Strait are now performing better across all areas of early years development. The national results from the governmentfunded AEDI reported that the Torres Strait region has shown significant improvement across all five areas of the early childhood development, compared with their same-age peers in 2009. The Torres Strait Islanders’ Regional Education Council, operators of Strait Start - the region’s only comprehensive early education program, contributes this success to a renewed
focus on the early childhood in recent years. Highlights from the 2012 report include:: • Less children identified as developmentally vulnerable across every area, compared to 2009 results • Badu Island recorded better than the national rates for children identified as developmentally vulnerable, across every area • The majority of children are doing well on each of the five areas • 35.5% of children were identified as developmentally vulnerable in one or more areas (compared with 26.2% in Queensland) • 22.2 % of children were identified as developmentally vulnerable
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Councillor David Bosun teaching kids about printmaking at Nalmun Lagau Minaral Art Centre.
Kids hop into Kubin program By KATHERINE CRANNEY Photos by DANIE SAVAGE and ANTHONY MURPHY PRINTMAKING, blue light discos, Oztag and golden oldies’ basketball were all part of the fun during the recent Kubin Easter holiday program. The Kubin community was a frenzy of festivities from April 1 to 12 with activities held all day and well into the night. Kubin’s Stakeholder Group - which includes representatives of community and government groups - put forward the idea of holding a holiday program, a first for the Kubin. Cyril Manas, PBC Chair remarked that the community wanted a cultural-based holiday program that focused on healthy living and staying active. Danie Savage, of the Indigenous Knowledge Centre, co-ordinated the fortnight with Councillor David Bosun. She explained: “The whole point of the program was to see the kids socialising together, that family connection, and to give the teenage kids something to do at night.” All age groups were involved in art and cultural activities. Young children sung traditional songs, painted coconuts and made Easter baskets, while Kubin’s teenagers learnt lino printing at the Ngalmun Lagau Minaral Art Centre. Cr Bosun, an artist himself of significant reputation, reflected that the fortnight allowed the “passing of artistic knowledge to the next generation, the new wave of artists coming through”. He added that, it is “not only artistic skills, but traditional knowledge of stories and songs that are being passed down through a fine art medium”. Resident artist Solomon Booth printed the kids’ work for the grand finale: an art exhibition on the last Friday of the holidays. That day, the Kubin Community Hall became a professional art gallery, with community members filing past tables of the students’ impressive prints.’
“All the kids were so proud of their work,” said Miss Savage. “Some kids were really committed, really keen. They were at the art centre every day, and that showed in their artwork,” said Cr Bosun. Some of these artworks will be a entered Bozie Savage, one of the into the student division young artists. of the upcoming Gab Titui Indigenous Art Awards. The program also included several sports. Young children played pass-the-parcel, egg and spoon races and the old classic: the hokey pokey. Older kids put their right foot in and out of volleyball, softball, Oztag, touch footy and basketball. Miss Savage laughed that one of the funniest moments was the ‘golden oldies’ basketball game, where kids looked on, shocked, as their parents, aunties and uncles were shooting hoops like they were born in the 1990’s. “All those adults playing, it was an eye-opener for the kids,” Danie said. The two teenage referees were particularly perplexed; the tables had turned! Miss Savage expressed her gratitude to the kids for participating; PBC and TSIRC for their support; the Stakeholder Group; Anthony Murphy from the Ngalmun Lagau Minaral art centre; the Tagai Kubin campus and all of the community volunteers. Cyril Manas spoke of the generosity of the community volunteers and the “huge turn-out from the kids” over the whole fortnight. On the back of this success, Kubin hopes to run another program during the June holidays. As Mr Manas said: “We’re looking forward to the next program, and to including more cultural activities like Kup Murri cooking and gathering wild yams.” The June holiday program will be structured around NAIDOC week and Mabo Day celebrations.
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Jimmy Nawarie and Ozi Bousen
Ladies preparing kai kai for the kids. Leila Loban, Hakira Trinkoon, Fiona Elisala, Helen Tomsana and Danie Savage.