| 26 August 2002 Edition No. 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dear Parents and Friends, What a great Day! I’m writing the first page of this
newsletter on the bus travelling with our musicians to Carnarvon to take
part in the Carnarvon Children’s Festival 2002. It’s a long trip to Carnarvon, almost 8 hours each way, so I’ll use the time to write a few pages and also let the children tell me their news items for the paper. JOY AND SORROW It has been a happy school term. The children have generally been peaceful and settled. The gentle care of the (mainly Aboriginal) House Parents has rubbed off on them and the schools have kept their minds occupied with many exciting diversions. However, we have also experienced pain and sorrow. Bernadette Hodgson died on Sunday, 23rd June, whilst we at Tardun celebrated our Baptism Day. With her husband Bob we mourn her passing into eternity because she was such a wonderful lady. With great skill and devotion she looked after the children’s health for a few years and helped me in my office work. Without her help I would never have managed to sort and scan so may colour slides and print them in the three volumes of Tardun News 01 to 84. At the close of the 2001 school year Bernadette indicated that she was tired and would not come back for another year. Nobody knew that she had incurable cancer that would kill her within 6 months. R I P Maurice Newgie’s hospitalisation was another shock for us. Our loyal farmer suffered two severe heart attacks on 31 July when he was with a group of children in Carnarvon and had to be flown to Perth. He had a big operation in Fremantle Hospital and is now slowly recovering. Colleen, herself not well, has been by his side most of the time, together with other family members. This, in turn, has left us shorthanded in the Kitchen. We miss both of them also in the preparation of our NAIDOC celebration, which is only one week away. JIRRAMINDA
NAIDOC WEEK We shall celebrate NAIDOC in the week starting Sunday, 1 September. It will be a week dedicated to the practicing of Aboriginal culture and meeting outstanding Aboriginal people. Arrangements for spending some time with us have been made with the following:
We hope that there will be a strong interaction between the visitors and our students. The highlight of the week will be our Open Day on Friday, 6 September.
MORE CHANGE AHEAD Paul Hotton has left us for health reasons. We are grateful to him for taking the first steps in the transfer of the administration from a Pallottine priest to lay people. Sue Alderman now carries the burden on her own. She is doing admirably well in the office and keeps the whole enterprise going as smoothly as ever. The problem is that her leave from Morawa District High School will only last to the end of this school year. So we expect another change at the end of this year. The Wandalgu Hostel Management Board met on Saturday, 17 August at the Bradfields’ place in Greenough to decide on the next steps to be taken. The Board’s representatives, who will meet Government officials and interested parties in Perth on Monday, 26 August, have the clear mandate to seek help (financial and administrative) for securing the ongoing operation of Wandalgu Hostel. NEW STAFF
John Kramme joined us in July. He is wonderful. In his willingness to do anything that needs to be done he has taken up the slack in many areas. He manages the Bundi Warren Canteen, bakes bread together with Gerry, helps in the kitchen, takes children to the Doctor, cleans up places, and works on the projects at the Old School. We were fortunate that he arrived just at the time when Dawn Jackson prepared to leave us after 4 years of service. We are grateful to Dawn for everything she has done for us. Until John came along we wondered how we would survive without her. But life goes on. The Good Lord is looking after us. As I finish this newsletter, another staff member is leaving us. Aileen Larkins has to return home to her family when a very sick grandson goes to hospital for an operation. We thank Aileen for looking after the Senior High School girls so lovingly. Lorretta Turner, who had temporarily been on our staff a year ago, will take up the position. CONFIRMATION The young people (from year 6 upward) who were baptized on 23 June are eligible for Confirmation on 17 November. Some other students who arrived later have asked to be baptized too. If they are sincere about it they can receive all three Initiation Sacraments when the Bishop visits. We will start the preparations early next term. The people concerned should talk about this with their parents in the holidays. DROUGHT CONDITIONS For the first time in the 70 years of our
St. Joseph’s Farm’s history, we have not been able to put a crop in. We
just didn’t get enough rain at the right time. Several times we even
missed out on a good drop when farms
It is sad to see the country so dry. The bush looks brown and even mature trees are drying. Our sheep can’t find enough food in the paddocks. Brother John is looking around for a place where he could send them to until conditions improve. Brother Wim has supplied me with the following statistics that compare this year’s monthly rainfall with the average of the last 20 years, (which was already very low.)
Where there has been no seeding there will of course also be no harvest. For Wandalgu Hostel that means a great loss, since our Farm usually makes a solid contribution to the running of the Hostel. We need help. POLICY REGARDING DISCIPLINE Wandalgu Hostel administration and staff aim at creating and maintaining an environment in which Aboriginal students can feel safe and cared for and are able to develop all their gifts. For this purpose a high standard of discipline must be maintained and all destructive influences held at bay. The following policies have been developed. Violence of all kinds will not be tolerated.
IN TOUCH WITH THE PAST It happens more and more frequently that people, who many years ago have been at Tardun as students or staff members, ring up, write or visit. Such renewals of old contacts are always a great joy for me. It is good to be in touch with the past and with people who have made Tardun what is today. Mary Jackson (LM 1962 & 1970-72) and Loraine Cosgriff (LM 1973-75) are visiting today. Maxine Clark (LM 1986) and her family visited us last week. Our line-up for NAIDOC Week includes former students Bernard Noel Mourish, Rodney Williams and Des Thompson. Jane Daniels (nee Mongoo) served as House Mother for a few months, Ainslee Egan and Marjorie Lawson still do. So does Robyn Jones (nee Whitehurst). We also have made contact with the art activities of times past. One room of the Youth Centre is decorated with paintings by former students and staff. When you visit Tardun this display is worth seeing.
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We
started a Crèche in the part of the Old School that had been the Library.
We had subdivided it a few years ago for the use as emergency
accommodation. Now we gave it a new purpose. We put in a new floor with
vinyl on top, built a ramp for easy access and brightened the rooms up
with suitable furniture and paintings. Ross Boddington suggested giving
this happy place the name "Jirraminda", meaning "Shelter".
Mena Bradfield (Catholic Education)
June Ruffin helped
us in the kitchen for two short periods but commitments in her church
community prevent her from taking on a permanent position here. Thanks,
June, for giving us a hand. 
all around us got it. 
If a student keeps offending, the parents will be
asked to exercise their influence. A panel of House Parents will counsel
the student and the prospect of dismissal will be clearly spelled out.