A partnership with two schools in central Australia is a first-hand opportunity to help reconciliation become a reality. That’s the belief of Chris Wyatt, Head of Preparatory School at Trinity Grammar School in New South Wales, who was part of the school’s first ‘boots-on-ground’ visit to launch the partnership with the two remote Northern Territory schools, Alekarenge and Murray Downs.
Wyatt hopes the venture will grow into a long-term alliance that provides benefits to students at all three schools, as well as their broader communities.
He was joined by Stephen Heanly, Head of Operations, Summer Hill at Trinity Grammar School based in Kew, Victoria, as well as teacher Mark Waters, Nick Larkin from the Junior School, Preparatory School teacher Jess Newton, TESS Director of Counselling Jess Staniland, and Director of TESS Academic Renee Culgan.
The project will incorporate a visit by 20 Trinity students to the NT, with a reciprocal trip by NT students to Trinity, later in 2024.
Trinity staff will also make regular visits to the Territory. with Wyatt outlining an immediate aim to help boost literacy, numeracy and attendance levels at the remote schools.
Inspiring deeper engagement with education
A longer-term goal to become “embedded” in the local communities aims to encourage more students to complete Year 12.
“We also want to get the elders in the Northern Territory involved – they are a massively untapped resource for on-country learning both for the young people in those communities and for us as we visit,” says Wyatt.
“As a Christian school it’s a chance for us to carefully reflect on ‘loving our neighbour’; it’s an opportunity to serve others but the reciprocal benefit is also a powerful thing. It’s important not to see ourselves as just giving; you come away as a better person after interacting with people who have so much to share in terms of culture and experience”
Wyatt says the school’s goal is “to support Trinity students to become part of a future where reconciliation is a lived reality for all Australians”.
“In the Territory, we want to make learning interesting, show the kids that being at school is engaging, so they don’t want to miss school days, preferring to stay at home; hopefully help them see a purpose and a sense of ownership of their own lives. If the community sees that, it could help build a pathway for young people into the workforce.”
“Hopefully, this is the start of something that can continue for a long time,” says Stephen Heanly, Summer Hill Director of Operations.
“An ongoing commitment is important to both the schools and the communities around them, not just being there one week and never seeing them again. That’s why we all wore the Trinity polo and shorts when we attended – to reinforce our school’s commitment. It was like a uniform for us.”
Wyatt can already see the difference the connections make.
“When we leave, they ask, ‘Are you coming back?’ and they don’t just mean Trinity, they mean you personally,” Wyatt says.
“It’s a place where a lot of people come through once. I want to see it become a place where we are trusted.”
