Aboriginal Student Support

Pastoral

Aboriginal Student Support and Parent Awareness Committee (ASSPA)

This year thirty-two Indigenous boys attended Trinity College from Years 8 to 12. We have two Aboriginal staff members, Mr John Jacky our Aboriginal Liaison Officer and me as the Aboriginal Teaching Assistant. It has been a very successful year for the college with indigenous student participation in many areas including the PSA sporting arena, a number of individual arts awards, the GIG Dance team and the recent Catholic schools music award for 2004. We exposed the students to many opportunities to extend their educational and vocational horizons, to encourage them to develop relationships and networks with others, and to be “men for others.” One of the highlights for the year was the Year 10, 11 and 12 boys’ participation on a Leeuwin Day Sail, which was part of a team building exercise. Other projects included the Year 8 and 9 camps to Camp Kelly in Dwellingup with Mr Jacky and Mr Nugent. They looked at goal setting and organisational skills formation. There has been a close working relationship with our Chaplain Father Michael McMahon. Mr John Puertollano and Ms Kylie Agale from the CEO established the Indigenous Catholic Youth Support Group, a regional network of Indigenous secondary students from all our Catholic schools and colleges in the Perth area. We developed a spiritual liturgy with an indigenous perspective using the ceremony of earth, fire and water. The Reconciliation Assembly on 17 August was a great celebration. The traditional Nyungar Welcome was spoken and sung by Mr Kim Collard, Mrs Robyn Collard from the CEO gave the keynote address, Shamis Bin Sali (Year 11) and Mr Lindsay Haji Ali

Mr John Jacky from Clontarf College played the didgeridoo. There Indigenous Liaison Officer was a fantastic performance by Ms Ruth Bott’s GIG dance group. This was followed by the usual kangaroo stew and damper lunch, cooked by Mrs Madge Hill, Nyungar elder and grandmother. We continue to explore innovative ways to help the Aboriginal boys with their study demands. We are outsourcing to a specialist tutoring franchise for our after school homework classes. This year we have proposed and implemented many new and exciting ventures. We strive to encourage local employers and a variety of guest speakers to address and meet the boys, to help them develop long-term aspirations. On behalf of the ASSPA committee and John Jacky, I wish to thank the staff and the Trinity College community for the opportunities and welcoming me to the College staff.

Jodi Bin Sali

Aboriginal Teaching Assistant

INDIGENOUS STUDENTS

Back row: Callum Morich, Marcus Bin Sali, Robert Huddlestone, Sharrod Wellingham, Kaleb Bin Sali Third row: Stefan Puertollano, Semesa Rogomaicake, Shamis Bin Sali, Sean Gregory, Terrence Creighton, Daniel Evans Second row:Mr John Jacky[Aboriginal Liaison Officer], Robert Kimberley, David Michael, Dwayne Sampi, Ayden McBeath-Rankins, Steven McGuire, Mrs Jodie Bin Sali [AboriginalTeaching Assistant] Front row: Robert Martin, Shannon Sampi, Zacharia Edgar, Shayne Moore, Damon Guerinoni, Eric Bin Sali, William Hunter, John-Robert Gallagher Absent: Lars-Nila Corbett, Jeffrey Garlett, Joshua Hill-Carter, Jarrhan Jacky, Mervyn Narrier, Clayton Pedersen, Robert Sampi, Joseph Nicoll