News…

FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Lots of exciting things have been happening at school during Term 2. Our theme for semester 1 has been "Food". Much of our Language work, Society and Environment and Science work have focused on "Food". Did you know that the iron in food, is the same iron as in nails and cars? It really does stick to magnets! We proved it!

This semester we began a different English program. It involves doing a lot of work based on one text. The children have been doing some great writing. I have included a story here, written by the Middle Classroom, called "The Lost Sisters". It’s based on the story called "Why the Goanna has two wives."

Term 2 has seen us involved in a football clinic in Mullewa, which was filmed by the ABC., a football carnival, where we were narrowly defeated for the Shield by Mullewa District High School, and a successful day of Netball against the larger N.C.V.I.S.S.A. schools in Northampton.

We also had an enjoyable day in Geraldton, going to Queen’s Park Theatre to see Nagle College’s production of the musical, "Pirates of Penzance". It was wicked!

Earlier this term I had my Principal’s Performance Review. As a result of the Review I have been offered a further 4 years contract, which I have accepted.

A little while ago, the Director of Catholic Education W.A., announced her resignation, as of September this year. Her replacement is Mr Ron Dullard, who has been Deputy Director for some years. On Tuesday July 29^th there will be a farewell Mass for Mrs Temby, in the Cathedral in Geraldton. Our children have been asked to do the Smoking Ceremony as the Entrance Procession for the Mass. All of the children will attend the Mass.

I hope you enjoy reading what the children have written. Have an enjoyable and safe term holiday. School recommences on Monday July 21^st.

Vin Russell

In the early Dreaming there lived a young man. He had two sisters and they had a pet Tasmanian devil.

The young man used to go off selling spears that he and his sisters had made.

After they made the spears he took the Tasmanian devil with him. His sisters stayed back to guard the camp. He told them to stay there and they obeyed him.

After he had sold the spears he headed back to the camp with lots of $50 notes.

 When he got back he was shocked, because his sisters were gone.

He had tears in his eyes, but was still thinking hard.

As he was sitting thinking, he saw two featherfoot tracks. He picked up his 4 spears and went looking.

He heard screaming coming from the cave, so he slowly tracked the 2 featherfoots smell.

He climbed to the top of the cave and he started to make scary noises.

The featherfoot came out of the cave and started looking. One went right and one went left.

When the featherfoots were out of sight the young man climbed down to the cave entrance. He ran in and rescued his 2 sisters.

But the featherfoot saw him and became angry. The young man quickly gave his sisters each a spear. They all aimed and threw their spears, but the sisters missed.

One of the featherfoots died, but the other one didn’t. He picked up the spear, but the young man still had one spear left. He threw it at the featherfoot and they both became rocks in the river.

Back in the days of the Dreamtime
There lived an old man aged seventy-nine.
He had 2 wives and 2 kids too.
They – also – had – a – dog and they called him Blue.

Each – day – he went – hunting looking for food,
He – left – behind – the – fam’ly but always took Blue.
He told his wives/every day,
Not – to – let – the – children wander away.

But then one day they wandered off,
The kids didn’t know that they were lost.
But when the old man did get back.
He gave his wives a great big smack.

Now is that right or is that wrong?
Is not the purpose for our song.
The kids were lost and must be found,
The mothers and fathers looked around.

They – found – them – on – an – islandin – the – middle – of – a river.
How to get them off made them all shiver.
The old man had a very long beard
He threw it over, but as he feared,

It wasn’t long enough to reach the kids
The lives of his wives were on the skids.
He beat them and beat them and beat them badly,
They became jabis,/very sadly.

The – kids – became – stars in the Milky Way
In their twinkling how they play?
What can we learn from this song?
Always do what’s right not…dum diddle le ah dum, wrong, wrong.

Chloe
We went to Northampton and we played netball and we came runner-up in B-grade and my little brother Brayden made a speech and I saw my cousin Shane boy. It was fun when we played netball.

Kyle
This term we played football against Mullewa District High School and we played Our Lady of Mt Carmel. We came second. We were winning by 2 points and Mullewa kicked 1 goal and then Mullewa came first and they won the Shield.

We wrote a book called "The Lost Sisters". We went to play football and we came second. The day was very cold but we had good fun.

Kiara
We went to Queen’s Park Theatre to watch Nagle College perform Pirates of Penzance. There was singing and dancing. The best part is the very end where they all were dancing.

Shemara
We went to Northampton and we went to go and play netball. On Thursday we went to see the Nagle College perform "Pirates of Penzance". And I saw my Aunty Teresa and my uncle Mike and my big sister Kerin. We went to Mullewa to play football.

Sandra
I like to do my work and I like to play with Halijah. Halijah is nice and we like to play with each other. And we like to finish our work.

Olivia
We all made a cereal box and we made our own cereals and my cereal was yummy. My cereal was called Fruit Bar.

Rikkieshia
Last Friday we went to Netball. We came second. We got a trophy.

Brayden
Last Friday we had to wake up early before the sun and we went to Northampton at dark time. It was wicked in the dark. The bus came and we went in the bus.

Darren
Last Friday we went to Netball and we won one game. I was the goal shooter for the team. We got two goals for a shield and we got some ice-cream off Miss Judy and we came back to Wandalgu.

Once upon a time there was a little old lady whose name was Gracie. She lived alone in a little yellow cottage in a deep, dark, spooky, forest near the City of Melbourne. She had a big back yard with a little white picket fence.

One day she decided to go for a stroll behind her little white picket fence. She thought, "Oh this is something new, what is this? It looks like a little blue gate in my little white picket fence. What can this be doing behind my big gum tree?" She went beyond the little blue gate to see what it would look like behind it. All of a sudden she found herself in a pile of clean clothes! She thought, who’s clothes could these be? After that she heard another old lady humming in the laundry. She thought, I wonder who that is? Gracie saw another old lady. She got such a fright she went tumbling over the clean pile of clothes, got back up and asked "What is your name?" The old lady replied "What is your name?" "Oh" Gracie said, "my name is Gracie." The old lady said, "My name is Michelle." Then Gracie said hello to Michelle. Michelle said hello to Gracie. They became friends.

Gracie and Michelle walked back to the gate. When Gracie opened the gate Michelle saw Gracie’s little white picket fence. She thought "Oh that is a nice little white picket fence. "Who’s house could this be?" "Oh" Gracie said in a kind way, "this house is mine of course." "Your house is very nice", Michelle said in a thoughtful way. "May I come and live with you." "Oh sure, you are welcome any time." Michelle went back through the gate and got all of her furniture and moved into Gracie’s little cottage.

She made herself feel at home in Gracie’s house, made her bed and fell asleep.

Once in a little town, where not many people lived there was a little girl name Bianca. She lived with her mother and little brother. They lived in a big house. At the back of the house there was a huge gate. No-one had ever been through the gate. No-one even knew why the gate was built there.

Bianca went out the back of the house to play on the swing. She is having a good time, then she noticed the gate covered in vines. She wondered, has that gate always been there. She jumped off the swing and walked over to the gate, looked at the gate and wondered how to get in. Bianca found the handle that opens the gate. She tries her hardest pushing on the handle. Finally the gate opens. Bianca steps back. In shock she saw a garden full of fruit and vegetables. These vegetables were much bigger than normal vegetables. Bianca has no idea what to do. She decided to go in and explore the garden.

In the garden she grows huge vegetables and at the far end of the garden is where all the huge fruits are. Not long before she notices the gate closing. Bianca runs and runs to make it through the gate before it closes. Too late Bianca is stuck there.

She sits there and cries her eyes out. She looked up and saw a tree taller than the gate. Maybe she could climb this tree to get over the gate. She gets up and starts to climb the tree. She looks over the gate and sees her house. She is very happy. Before she makes it over the gate the branch of the tree she is standing on breaks. Bianca hits the ground. She gets up feeling dizzy. She starts to try to climb the tree again. Up the tree she goes to the top of the gate. Bianca makes it over and slowly climbs down the tree on the other side of the gate until she is safely on the ground. She lays there for a minute or more and thinks to herself what would ever happen to her if she didn’t make it over.

Bianca jumps up to the sound of her mother calling her. She runs inside to her mother and gives her a big hug. Her mum asked, "Where have you been?" Bianca gives no answer. "Dinner is ready", her mother said. She goes inside and washes her hands and sits down to have dinner. Bianca is very glad to be home.

Once upon a time there lived a girl in a mission. Her name was Sandra Willer. There was a gate and that led to her home which was a long way from the mission.

Every day when she finished school, she would always go to that gate. She would say that she was going to open the gate, cross the road and follow it home.

The next day, on Saturday, she had a fight with Cassandra Halden. Sandra Willer got kicked out of the mission. When she went back home she got in deep trouble from her mum and dad. She had to go to Wickham School. All she knew were some old friends their names were Jerry, Deana, Jeanne, SB, Jade, Kate and Tia. She did not like her friends.

When school was over she got in trouble again because she said something very bad to the teacher. She went to the beyond gate. While she was standing near the gate she noticed three animals. She gave them some grass. The animals said thankyou. From this time on they became friends and she now had someone to tell her problems to.

She told her new friends her problems. They told her not to worry. They told her to go back to her house and see what will happen. When she went back to her house she was still in trouble. She said to her mum and dad, "I am not coming back". She got her things then set off to the beyond gate. She told her friends what happened at her house. They told her she could stay with them.

Sandra Willers’ mum and dad were worrying about her because she did not come back home. They rang the police that day, and told them their daughter is missing. The policeman said we would come over quick.

The next day Sandra went to school but she took a long time to get to the school the policeman’s went to the school and said is a girl name Sandra Willer came to school yet. The teacher said she had not come to school. When the policeman left. The school Sandra Willer came to school. When her friends saw her they said "Sandra the police are looking for you". She asked, "Where are they." Her friends said "they just left". "Good" then that’s good they have gone. I’m safe at school." Her friends said "what did you do wrong?"

She said "I ran away from mum and dad." They said "that’s not very nice running away from your mum and dad". Then Sandra Willer started to cry. Her friends asked her "what’s wrong now." "I’m crying of because the bad things I did". School was over now she went through the bushes to get to the gate where she would stay.

2 years later she went to see her mum, who said "come in". She went in. When her mum saw here. She started to cry Sandra went to see her dad to say hi. Her dad then started to cry also.

They sat down together Sandra’s mum said the police were still looking for her. They have been looking for you for 2 years now as it is 2005. Sandra went to get her things and moved back in to her own home.

The next day her dad died then Sandra Willer was not happy at all.

Bianca Jade Boona (Year 7)

Brother Basil Halder was born on 20^th July 1900 at Isny in the Diocese of Rottenburg Germany.

As a young man, in 1928 he made a remarkable recovery from blood poisoning. This he attributed to the intercession of Our Lady of Lourdes. In thanksgiving he renounced the prosperous parental farm that he was to inherit as first born son.

He entered the novitiate of the Society in 1928 and made his first profession on 24^th September 1930.

First he was engaged in agriculture at Schönstatt.

In 1935 he came to Australia in a group comprising Father Hermann Neckes, Brother Richard Besenfelder and the students. Anton Omasmeier, Bruno Kupke and George Vill. Two doctors were also in this group, Doctors Betz and his wife Ludwina.

Brother Basil was appointed to Tardun farm to which he gave nearly 30 years of his missionary life. The growth and consolidation of Tardun owed a great deal to his agricultural knowledge, technical skill and great perseverance under a personal handicap of deafness.

He also worked at Wandering. Then as a result of illness he had to be transferred to Perth. There he spent the last day of his life. He died in St John’s Hospital, Subiaco, Perth on 28^th June 1965. His remains were layed to rest in the Karrakatta cemetery Perth.

(Used courtesy of Br W.H. van Veen)

Alan Egan remembers Br Basil

Alan first came in contact with Br Basil in 1948 when Alan was 7 years old and his association and memories cover the years until 1954 when Alan was 14.

Br Basil was quite deaf so the boys called him ‘BIJULL’. The aboriginal word for Deaf is gurlga bunthu – meaning "closed ears".

Of course the kids took advantage of the deafness, but Alan didn’t say exactly how. I think our imaginations can fill in the gaps!

Like Br Günther today, Br Basil looked after the water. Alan recalls the time Br fell off the tank-stand and broke his leg. The boys heard screaming but didn’t take any notice of the noise. Two days later they found out BIJULL was in hospital. When he returned home to the Monastery the boys enjoyed taking his meals to him. The rewards were worth the effort as Brother gave them some of his food which included nice biscuits.

He was always tinkering in his workshop and made things like cigarette lighters out of bullet shells and necklaces with copper-wire. After some tree planting Brother made a cart with motorbike wheels to carry water to the trees. He also bought himself a scooter and during the lunch-break the boys would take a loan of it without asking permission. It wasn’t hard to guess where the scooter had gone! Alan also recalls that brother had a push-bike with a motor and could be seen riding around the property leaving behind a small dust-storm.

Alan says he still looks around the old workshop area in the hope of finding some of Brothers inventions.