Edition No.  91,  92,  93,  94,  95,  96,  97,  98,  99, 100

07 March 2003  

Dear Parents and Friends,

The 2003 school year has started.
…and dear Parents and Friends, that is where Fr Gerhard finished his opening letter for this issue of the Tardun News before he suffered a stroke on Wednesday, February 26.
Always one to be on time he had pre-dated it March 7!

My present state is not the highlight of my life. To be confined to a hospital bed after a severe stroke that paralysed my left side and to be reduced to the state of a helpless child that needs to be spoon-fed, washed, towelled, lifted in and out of bed and put on the potty, is quite depressing.

However, when watching the World Cup Cricket in hospital, I saw the slogan LIFE IS GOOD flashed across the screen during the whole program and I couldn’t help but fully agree – Yes, Life is Good!

It is a blessing to live in this lovely country with a beautiful environment, and to work in a community of young people who breathe life and enthusiasm. Everyday is a great gift and a challenge to make the best of it.

This present calamity is only a very temporary episode I’m sure, and I’m well on the way to a full recovery aided by the skill of nurses and doctors and by the prayers of the children and the whole community. Their beautiful get-well cards and flowers are here in front of me and I’m still trying to work out what God wants to tell me.

Perhaps it is that I should see more clearly the gift of God in all the good things that have been part of my life; good health, enjoyment of my work and a loving community. I may have regarded it as too much of my own doing and not enough of God’s doing.

It has been a privilege to be here at St John of God Hospital during the days when Br Eddie was taking his last steps. To be able to say goodbye to him in a very personal way was very rewarding for me. Having worked together so closely in Tardun it was fitting to be together again at the end of his journey.

It is Resurrection Time and I wish you all a very happy Easter.

Pray for me as I do for you all.
Fr Gerhard

NEW STAFF - WELCOME!

Hi all, my name is Dan Bren-Clarke and I’ve come from Melbourne to work as a houseparent for the Junior Primary boys. I usually work as a Swimming Instructor and a Childcare Worker and I look forward to making a difference.

Gidday! Like Ben I come from Melbourne, and I couldn’t let him come by himself. I work as a policeman in Victoria. My interests include playing golf and keeping fit. I’ve taken long-service leave and noticed an add in the church bulletin asking for assistance in Tardun. I’m interested in aboriginal justice having been involved with the aboriginal community in Fitzroy, (Kooris). I don’t see myself as being here to make a big difference, but to be supportive.

We are volunteers with P.A.L.MS, a Sydney based volunteer service. Last year we lived and worked in East Timor and 2003 has brought us here to Wandalgu to be houseparents to the Senior High Girls.

During our stay here we hope to provide a safe, stable environment for the Senior girls. This hopefully will create a good, supportive atmosphere in which they can complete their education at Morowa District High School.

Marinus comes to Wandalgu from Ballarat in Victoria where he ran his own Dairy Farm. Marinus said he had read about Tardun in the Parish bulletin over many years. More recently his sister introduced him to Fr Pat Jackson and the result of that meeting brought Marinus to Wandalgu where he is Br Guenther’s right hand man.

Marinus enjoys being here in the company of the Brothers, the staff and the children. He says, "Every day is different."

Debora comes from Sao Paulo and will be 34 years old in April. She was living in Perth, studying English at TAFE and working weekends. Through the Catholic Immigration Centre, Debora met Fr Julian a Portuguese Priest who happened to know Fr Ray Hevern. Work experience at Wandalgu Hostel and the chance to meet with more Australian people who will only speak English to Debora is very important for her. She hopes to learn very good English here at Wandalgu!

Mr Music - visits Wandalgu every Thursday, teaching Guitar, Drum and Keyboard. David comes with a strong background in entertainment and has especially delighted his students when playing 12-string guitar. David speaks highly of the musical ability of the children and is very encouraging to both Senior boys and girls with their Band Music and performance. David stays overnight at Wandalgu and drives to Christian Brothers AG College on Friday morning to continue teaching there.

Your hosts Alan and Elsie Egan

Relax in style and comfort on the patio of Senior Boys' House, Wandalgu. Extensions to this Senior House at the cost of much enthusiasm and physical energy will enable all visitors to sit in shaded comfort and sip on Wandalgu Cocktails a la iced water while gazing out at the green grass. An added attraction is the rare opportunity to listen to stories of the old days from "young" Alan, aided and abetted by his faithful Elsie.  Congratulations to all concerned!

ATHLETICS

The weekend of March 15 & 16 saw 4 students participate in the finals of the Athletics n Geraldton.

Cindy Cameron won 1^st place in the Discus Throwing and 2^nd & 3^rd places in Shot-put. Alan Egan represented Wandalgu in the 60m Long Jump, 100m Javelin and 200m High Jump and was placed 5^th in all these events. Bianca Boona won 3^rd place in Javelin, High Jump and 400m sprint. Sherona Boona was placed 3^rd in the Discus, and 2^nd in Shot-put, High Jump and Javelin.

Congratulations to these young athletes.

Originally 13 students showed interest in participating in the Athletics but this number was soon reduced to 4. Some older students felt it wasn’t "COOL" to be participating in Athletics and with the Football Season just around the corner they were more occupied with preparation for the season.

Both Dave and Jacko would like to see more students from Wandalgu lining up when the athletic season commences again in September. They believe there is great talent here!

Colleen is happy to report that she has applied to ATSIC for funding 2003-2004 for Sport and Recreation purposes and Operational Costs of Wandalgu Arts.

Wandalgu Arts will sponsor the Senior Boys’ Band in STAR SEARCH. There will be an audition in Perth later this year. The Senior Girls’ Band may also enter this competition.

Fr Gerhard’s support of Wandalgu Arts is greatly missed. Bundiyarra – (Aboriginal Corporation – Geraldton) are aware of his absence and will support us.

Colleen as Chairperson, and the Committee, which to express to Fr Gerhard through Tardun News their deep appreciation for his untiring assistance and enthusiasm for their projects and want to assure him that they are committed to carrying on the work of Wandalgu Arts in an efficient manner.

We wish Fr Gerhard a speedy recovery and look forward to his return!

In the absence of Fr Gerhard, Fr Peter Downes from Three Springs has been kind enough to celebrate Mass for us on Friday afternoon. He says he really enjoys the singing and is happy to come to Wandalgu. We appreciate your presence among us, thank you Fr Peter.

Sunday mornings the Wandalgu Hostel community celebrates with a Communion Service. To date this has been prepared by Vin the Primary School Principal. Vin is confident that more staff and students will take an active role in the preparation and presentation of this Gathering in the future. Thank you Vin for the effort and dignity you have brought to these celebrations.

Brother John, Günther and Wim. They move quietly around this little community but are a very special part of the landscape at Wandalgu. If you don’t see Br John on a tractor or front-end loader then it’s Br Günther with well-oiled hands having just answered the call to fix something – the water – the ovens – the washing machine…never ending. And then there’s Br Wim constantly moving from Monastery to Swimming Pool and back so that children and staff can enjoy the relaxation the pool offers. A big thank you for helping to keep ‘the show on the road’.

LEADERS & TEAM

Thank you
Kang & Kyung for the leadership shown
to the community
and the team for the care and support you offer
students and colleagues each day

Goodbye and thank you to Brian and Robyn Jones. Their care of the Senior Primary Boys and involvement in all the happenings at Wandalgu was much appreciated. We wish them well for the future.

Gerry Duck has taken leave for a few months, but we hope to see him back around May.

After eight years at Wandalgu, John Langdon has earned his retirement. Thank you John for the many hours of hard work. We wish you good health and happiness.

We have appreciated visits from Fr Ray and Fr Joe Butcher to help cater for our spiritual needs.

A very important morning of input graciously given by Kath O’Connor. New Staff were especially grateful and ‘old’ staff were pleased to see Kath here again.

Olive Boddington continues to grace the Hostel with her presence every fortnight to take Art Classes and Nicole North continues to visit every Wednesday night to teach Pottery. Some beautiful work is being produced.

As Easter falls during the holidays, we will have special Easter Celebrations when the children return to school.

For Easter ........ a prayer to St Vincent Pallotti

 St Vincent Pallotti,
You always sought God in everything.
Teach us to follow your example
So that we may glorify God
Through the holiness of our lives
And the sincerity of our work.

(Taken from the Pallottine Community Prayer Book)

Halijah
When we went on the bus to Kalbarri we were all asleep. When we got there we put up the tents and then had sausage in bread for dinner. After we had our shower we ran around for a while and then we went to bed. Next morning we went for a walk along the beach and saw some starfish. We had breakfast when we got back. The camp was good fun because we did lots of running and the best part was going to the sea.

Shemara
When we went camping at Kalbarri we went on the boat. When we went to the river we saw lots of Kangaroos. We jumped out of the boat and had a swim.

Leticia
We went camping at Kalbarri and went to the beach. Marjorie and Ainslie went fishing. They saw some fish jumping. When Leilani was fishing a little shark was chasing her bait. Rikkieshia found a hermit crab.

Emmajean
At Kalbarri we stayed in the tents. We had rice bubbles and cornflakes for breakfast. We went chasing fish but we didn’t catch any. I saw a big one. All the fish swam into a big hole in the rocks. The best part was when we had lunch at the beach. Ainslie said that he saw a shark but it was really a fish. A girl who we didn’t know took our photo.

Happy at Wandalgu - Brayden
I like it here because I have friends and I play with them. We play skipping and chasey. And it is good fun. I won a trophy at our swimming carnival and was very proud.

The Dockers Vs Richmond - Shane
When we went to the football in Geraldton to see the Dockers and Richmond I found $2 twice, so then I had $4. When we were playing chasey my cousin Nathan got shirt fronted by his brother. Shelley gave me $15 and I bought 3 footballs. Two were Dockers and one was a Bomber. During the game Jeff Farmer kept slipping over. The game was good because the Dockers won.

John
On Saturday the 1^st March all the High School students and the Senior Primary Boys went to Geraldton. First we had a BBQ at Glendenning Park. Our next stop and the highlight of the day was the AFL game at Towns Oval. It was the Wizard Cup match between Fremantle and Richmond. It was an exciting game and the Dockers had lots of supporters (including us). We waved our Dockers flag high, especially when they won. After the game finished we went on to the oval and got some autographs and photos with some of the players. Then we came back to Wandalgu.

Our Footy Trip - Jacinta
On Saturday 28 February all the houses except the little ones went to an AFL game which was held in Geraldton, to watch Fremantle Dockers clash with Richmond Tigers. Of course the West Aussies won.

It was a very hot day and a lot of people got sunburnt but overall it was a great opportunity to see an AFL game and everyone had a great time. Thank you to the organizers.

Girls Picnic - Melissa
On the girls picnic we went to Horrocks Beach it was a very hot day and the trip was longer than usual but it was worth it when we got there. We had a barbecue and went swimming. The water was beautiful and clear. Everyone went out to the pontoon and we were doing bombies off it. After our swim we had watermelon and then departed for the Hostel and that was a quite trying because everyone was exhausted after the long day. BUT WE HAD A GREAT TIME!

Sunday Night - Phynea
On Sunday night at the Junior Girls’ House Melissa and I were mucking around in the hallway. Then I said, "You leave the skateboard and you do this". And I did a handstand off the wall. I stayed up there for awhile then suddenly I fell lopsided in the hallway and Melissa saw me on the floor and started laughing at me and we had the biggest cramps – hey!

Hi, my name is Tienalla Clifton. I am a new student in the Junior Secondary Dorm. I live in Katherine in the Northern Territory. I lived there for 10 or 11 years. I came down here because my uncle was coming down. The Northern Territory is really fantastic. It is lovely and cool and sometimes even cold and there are warm rivers and I know all the names of the rivers. One is Hot Springs and another is Low Level.
Thank you for reading my story.

Rikkieshia
Hi everyone, my name is Rikkieshia Hawkins and I come from Yalgoo. I am 6 years old and I have a brother and his name is Darren Hawkins and he is nine years old. Darren and I came to school here. When my mum was little she used to come here to school too.

When the school kids had a pupil free day we all went to Geraldton to go to the museum. We looked at animals and boomerangs. For lunch we had sausages, bread and sauce. Then we came back home.

Leonie

I went to swimming lessons with the kids in my class and we swam with the kick boards with our teachers Val and Jane.

When we went swimming we had a little shade for all the kids so that we didn’t get sunburn. I was runner-up and was given a medal. Then when we went back home our house parent said that we were going back to the pool and we all went – YES!

On the 16^th all the Primary kids went to the Museum in Geraldton and we saw animals and my Nanna’s painting as well as some boomerangs. Then on the way back all the kids fell asleep in the coach. We all enjoyed our day out in Geraldton.

Leticia

Hi, my name is Leticia Prior. I come from Geraldton. I am 8 years old and I live in my Aunty Katrina’s house – the Junior Primary Girls’ House.

Shikira
Last week I went to Mt Magnet with my Aunty and cousins. We went for a ride then my Aunty dropped me at the Mission. Shaq went to Mullewa with his Aunty then mum came and picked him up.

Kiara
On the 14^th March we had the Wandalgu Primary School Swimming Carnival. I raced against Shemara, Chloe, Emmajean, Leticia, Halijah. I came first in four races. At the end of the carnival I received a big trophy because I was champion.

Olivia
At the swimming carnival all the kids from Tardun School went in the races. I was racing with the Year 2 kids and I came first. I won a medal saying I came first. After the swimming carnival we all had free time in the pool.

A Good Day Out
Dion & Michael
On Saturday the senior high and the junior high boys went to Geraldton for the day. When we first got there we went to Glendenning Park to have lunch and while we were there we played cricket. Then we went to the front beach. We played on the merry-go-round and then we went on to Maitland Park and had KFC for tea. From there we went to Rovers Football oval to watch Tyrone, Ryan and Bob play footy for Mullewa. It was a long ride home but it was a good day out.

To Friends & Parents of Students.
The best time to phone students in Wandalgu Hostel after school hours:

Senior High: 4.30-5.30pm & 8.00-9.00pm
Junior High: 4.30-5.30pm & 7.30-8.30pm
Senior Primary: 3.30-5.30pm & 7.00-8.00pm
Junior Primary: 3.30-5.30pm & 7.00-8.00pm

Thank you very much for your co-operation.
Kyung & Kang