Hughes Kimberley Calling

Juliette and her flame who was the boys age champion

Here it is- Friday the 18^th September and the only reason I have time to catch up on my blog is because I am in hospital. The joys of living in the Kimberley in remote communities: a high staph load. We got Juliette over her many boils after 10 weeks and worrying if we would have to return to Sydney. I have now come down with my second carbuncle. These are like a massive head of boils but they do not come to a head that drains easily and have to be surgically lanced. Before they reach this stage your limb swells with the infection. It looked yesterday morning as if one arm had been doing lots of weightlifting as it was swollen from my shoulder to elbow. The clinic sisters at Warmun decided that with my history of heart valve problem that I needed to get to hospital and get IV antibiotics.

Sister Barbara receiving her water blessing from the boys

On arrival here they gave me happy gas which only made me dopey while they lanced it. I do remember hearing the doctor say to the trainee nurse that I had a grape sized hole in my arm. It looks like a very nasty gunshot wound. I will be fasting from midnight tonight just in case they need to go in again under anaesthetic tomorrow. I maintain my stance about the Kimberley in that it is where nature likes to remind you that it has the upper hand. The weather, the animals, the remoteness and the diseases all serve to remind us city slickers that we may think we are in control, but we live in a delusion.

It has been an eventful time of late. Juliette had her first overnight excursion, with the pre-primary class given free tickets to the Moscow circus that was performing in Kununurra. We were so worried how she would go as she has only ever been overnight with close family before. She had to have a sleep before she left and when I had to wake her up and dress her she was so grumpy and horrible. As soon as the school bus pulled up she was out the door like a flash with the biggest smile on her face, all sweetness and innocence. They were so excited. Three teachers were taking 6 kids and they were staying at the All Seasons Hotel. They felt very flash.

 Juliette of course was worried about a past scary clown experience and when the performance began with overly loud music that was it, she was out the door terrified. The circus manager came and put her on a seat where she could still see the show and gave her free fairy floss. She promised that nothing scary would happen to her and she managed to sit inside for the second half. They had a wonderful time but all returned exhausted.

Our athletics carnival was held in August. It is usually cooler but this year was unseasonably hot and on the day of the carnival we topped the state for the highest temperature 39 degrees. Juliette was so excited to be with her mum and dad in the red team. I had no chance of pronouncing the team’s name in the local Gidga language. Unlike their city counterparts, these kids are naturally very competitive and incredibly athletic. Juliette and the only other non-indigenous kid both came last in their races. There was no way they could compete against such natural athletes. Juliette was very excited that her young flame Treston won the age champion and the red house won the day.

Juliette co-celebrating mass with Father Martin

Someone once said he had seen many kids as talented as Cathy Freeman, but they were never given a chance. After watching the kids on this day I can see what he means. This is why the AFL scouts visit remote communities and why they have a disproportionally high number of Aboriginal players. Football is like religion for these communities. It is unfortunate that the girls play basketball here, which does not have a strong national base from which funds and sponsorship or even interest can flow. This is just another way that the girls are given the message that they are not of value.

I was very lucky to have my principal from Sydney, Sister Barbara visit us. She is a Josephite sister, like the founding sisters of the school here. More to the point, 4 of the staff at Ngalangangpum had taught at MSJ and so when the school board suggested she take a sabbatical, she requested time to see what her staff were doing up here. I had jokingly teased her during all of our conversations organizing her visit that she was to spend 2 weeks with Mike in the High School Boys’ class. She had experience at Walgett in rural NSW in an Aboriginal community and informed me she was not fazed by being called an MF!

Juliette heading off for her school excursion to the circus

Mike had received no classroom support all year and he had a very challenging group. He sometimes had as many as 15 students turn up, never had they had such large numbers and this was a great testimony to the respect they felt for him. Let me tell you though, they were extremely challenging as I also taught them for 1 hour a week, some of which I felt physically endangered. These are mostly angry boys with no aspirations. They range in age from 12 to 15 and in intellect from kindergarten level of brain function to bright boys who had been expelled from boarding school.

 God bless Sister Barbara as she insisted on working with Michael. It was the best 2 weeks teaching he had as she spent her time working one on one with Mike’s foetal alcohol affected student and with 2 teachers there was more attention to go around which is what these students so desperately crave. This boy absolutely blossomed with her guidance and she sat with the patience of Job while he did his Mathletics on the internet, and she was determined that he would reach enough points to gain a certificate. Nothing phased her and she was a great calming influence in the class. Her years of experience showed as she knew exactly when to discipline and encourage. 

Towards the end of the time the boys and Mike took her to Winiper Springs for a bush trip. This is sacred country and the boys gave her a solemn blessing and welcome to country. They went on to a thermal pool that involved trudging through knee deep mud. Sister elected to stay in the car and it was only five minutes before the boy she had worked extensively with told Mike he was returning to Sister as he was worried there was a cheeky bull about. It was beautiful to see this boy who was usually derided in his community for his brain deficit, grow into the role of a young man taking responsibility for the care of another. 

Juliette adored having Barbara here and each afternoon they would spend together, allowing me to have some quiet time. She had Juliette for a sleep over one night and learnt the hard way that children, though small are not the easiest of bed mates. We loved having her visit and it was great the way she affirmed what we were attempting to do with these kids.

As you can see it, has been simply ages since I blogged. We have been so busy, tired and each of us has been sick at some stage.

August began with another set of demoralizing and inappropriate state wide tests- the WAMSE. This was four exams, 2 in Science and 2 in Society and Environment for all students in years 5,7 and 9.  I was so embarrassed that the students would do so poorly on the Science exam considering that is my subject. Unfortunately for them, whereas the rest of the state was having 3-4 Science lessons per week, I had managed 2 in 8 weeks with the high school students. With the literacy and numeracy demands so high, there is just so little time left to fit in anything else.

 Professor Fiona Stanley, who was awarded Australian of the Year a few years ago for her discovery of the link between spina bifida and folic acid in the mother’s diet visited the school this week. I had begun communicating with her last year when I first got the position here, knowing that she devotes much time to Aboriginal health issues. From the first email, this woman was wonderfully warm and held the Warmun community very dear to her heart. She named a number of the Elders who she considers personal friends and is the patron the of Gidja Total Health Foundation. She had said that she was looking forward to meeting me when she had a scheduled visit to Warmun this year. I was brazen enough to ask if she would consider being my scientist for the day. She replied that it would be her pleasure.

 From the moment I met her I knew I was in the presence of a truly amazing person. She would take each of our kids by their hand, introduce herself as Fiona and made each of those kids feel like the centre of her universe while she was talking with them. She walked into the high school classroom and immediately picked up a school shirt and asked if she could put it on. Mike was so embarrassed as the shirt was not clean, and his boys have very few showers during the Dry season. She was not phased in the least.

Professor Fiona Stanley with my class.

 I asked her to describe the scientific method using the example of the research that led to the swimming pool being built in Warmun. She discussed how they compared and gathered research from an Aboriginal community with a pool and one without a pool. They measured many health indicators in their research but focused particularly on skin diseases, lung and ear infections, school attendance and mental health. In all aspects, a pool resulted in massive improvements in child health. She is now fighting to have the pool solar heated so that it can be used year round, as the health of the kids deteriorates during the months it is closed. It is hard to believe that the pool needs solar heating when the winter temperatures are still often in the 30’s. These kids have a very limited ability to tolerate the cold.

 Fiona then discussed other programmes she is working on. As she is an Epidemiologist, the crisis in Aboriginal health is of great importance to her. She talked about one research experiment where they took a group of Aboriginal men out into the bush for 6 weeks. These guys all had diabetes, heart disease and  numerous other ailments as a result of living on “white mans tucker”. After 6 weeks living exclusively on bush tucker all their pre-existing ailments disappeared.

 We then all went to the library for a liturgy to celebrate 100 years since the death of Mary MacKillop. Fiona and her travelling party joined us for this as did a number of the community Elders. It was a beautiful and uplifting celebration as we talked about how the work of this woman who lived in another part of Australia so long ago is alive and at work in this community. We all joined together for a wonderful morning tea afterwards.

 Fiona camped out in the bush for the night with some of the older women from the community who are her friends. They were teaching her some of the bush medicines they used for treating a variety of ailments. She was very excited at the prospect of finding new and effective medicines that could be marketed that were based on Aboriginal bush medicine.

 She called in on our school briefly next morning and was on such a high. She apologized for her lack of showering for a few days, but was so elated by the work we were doing for our kids she had been over to the community CEO to sing our praises. She had been out to visit a wildlife park along the Gibb River Road that is one of the only places in Australia where the mammal numbers are increasing. She wanted to see if she could organize for some of these scientists to take our students out on field work.

 Fiona and her companions left a number of books and games behind for our students and was keen for them to email and let her know what she particularly thought of one book for which she had written the foreword. She took the time to respond to each of the girls’ emails.I was so impressed with Fiona and I can see why she is so successful at networking lots of people researching a variety of health issues together. A more charismatic woman I have never met.

Looking from Telegraph Hill down over the billabong

 For a weekend away Mike, Juliette and I met up with our friends from Kununura Belinda, Manny, Molly and Jacob. Parry’s Creek Farm. Our accommodation was in cabins joined by a raised walkway that stood about 3 metres above a small lagoon. The owners did tell us that one day their dog disappeared down the jaws of a crocodile while standing next to the bank below. The waterlillies were out in bloom and as I watched the dawn awake it was a magic sight. This place attracts bird watchers from all over the world as the variety of birds here is amazing. These lagoons remain wet throughout the Dry season and so are a magnet for birds from as far away as Siberia. We spent a peaceful hour watching the setting sun and the beautiful birds. I had never been more enchanted than by a flock of about 10 pelicans. In a group this size all their movements are synchronized. They open their wings, duck for fish and raise their heads all in unison. They looked like they were taking part in a graceful ballet.

The waterlillies were just beautiful

One bird that was not so charming was the resident brolga. This had been rescued by a nurse in our community and as it grew too large for them to keep in their yard they thought this would be a good home for it. I remember watching Beth and her husband running it up and down the school playground trying to teach it to fly. This bird was turning into a nightmare for the owners here. Parents had chased it with tyre levers as it attacked their children and it had pecked holes in much of the shadecloth. It approached us and I quickly stood up and held my chair up to it trying to scare it away. The kids were terrified of it so we had no worries about them wandering off near the lagoon, they stayed safely on the walkway or very close to us.

Juliette drawing by the light of the campfire

After here we went to a thermal pool. This whole area is part of the Halls Creek fault line and the rocks are twisted and show the signs of a very active underground. This is what makes the water warm. I was trepidatious heading knee deep in places across the mud and grass. You just did not pause to think what could be lurking beneath. The pool was warm but very muddy. Again this was a little disconcerting. After we had left Leanne explained that a very large python lurks in this location.

Juliette co-celebrating mass with Father Martin

This week the girls’ from MSJ were working in the school, with each class being assigned a student (except the High School boys!!!). They had a great time and ran some after school activities also. One night they invited some of our girls to have a sleep over with them at Mirrilingki. They were hoping to sleep under the stars but soon chickened out when they realized that snakes were a real danger. The local girls taught them the fine art of damper making, whilst the MSJ girls toasted marshmallows.

On the Monday night we went to mass and Patrick, the elder of the community stated that his wife was home sick. This older couple provides food and support to such a large number of people that I worried who was looking after Betty when she was sick. We took them a big pot of stew, enough for a few nights. Going into their home was a revelation. This couple would be one of the most reliable couples in the community. Alcohol is not a part of their family way. Yet, I realized why the Swine flu was taking such a toll on the community. The poverty and absence of any food meant that they were at great risk of complications due to illness. They were certainly grateful that someone took the time to think of their needs, as they spend all their days thinking of others.

Mass tonight was funny as Juliette set all the altar up for Father Marting and then perched on the chair right next to him. She was banging the clapping sticks with such gusto during the singing I was worried that the chalice was going to be knocked over, the communion hosts fall all over the floor and then the camp dogs race in and eat them! Luckily we made it through OK. Once again the Elders perched on the edge of their chairs as Juliette took the microphone to say her prayer of the faithful. They all make motherly clucking sounds as she finished, they just love her.

As we farewelled the MSJ girls and staff at the assembly, each class presented them with a gift and the teachers’ spoke warmly of the contribution each made. The girls’ cooked a BBQ at Mirrilingki to say thank you to all who had made their stay so wonderful and it was great to see the enthusiasm and enjoyment they had here. Many could not wait to return again and were planning to come back to do some after school programmes at the end of their HSC.

On Saturday morning we headed into Kununurra for the rodeo. We were staying at the farm with Damian and Lyn and were going to the rodeo together. Lyn was even more worried about Juliette at the farm as the taipan who had fallen out of the log at our feet a few weeks ago was hanging around the back door, crawling up the sliding door one night. They knew it was the same one as it had the blister marks from where it had been toasted in the fire. The rodeo was great fun and we caught up with lots of friends there, particularly Lena and Jackie, our friends from the desert school. I was intrigued by an event called “wild cow milking” where a group of cowboys chase and tackle to the ground a vealer. It seems this is what they do at branding time. This rodeo had bulls and horses that were much larger and had significantly more bad attitude than the last. I just cannot understand why people would choose to do such a dangerous thing as ride those wild bulls or horses.