Guest Speaker
Lauren Jeffery
- From Perth, no teaching jobs in the city when graduated, put down Broome as last on the list
- 21 and 2500 km from home got the teaching position Bidyananga is the biggest Aboriginal Community in Australia (800 people) and Fitzroy Crossing
- Bidyananga is the biggest Aboriginal Community in Australia (800 people)
- 5 different language groups
- closed community, except if working
- dry community - no alcohol
- own by laws with a law tree
- every classroom had an aboriginal educator - assisted with translating and deliver lessons together
- Met husband Wayne (from Pine Lodge) in second year of teaching
- He was a pottery teacher
- kids had no school uniforms or shoes so Lauren's dad made school shirts that the kids got changed into each day
- Napuru Beach - means no name (lots of people and things get re-named if there's a traumatic event with the same name until the family grieving is ready to move on)
- learnt lots of new skills - catching crabs, fishing
- money and holiday incentives were high
- spent 13 years in remote communities teaching
- Fitzroy Crossing next school - 1500 people in town
- a lot more services and amenities
- spent 4 years there
- helped to save money and look after own babies whilst working because of the good conditions
- traditional dancing, cooking, culture was a lived experience
- lots of travelling and friendships made
- Bayulu Community School was next school worked at
- did lots of travelling 'on country'
- spent 13 years
- low socio-economic living conditions
- government agencies throw lots of grant money to the communities - employ local mob to keep houses clean - doesn't work but they write it was successful so they can get more grant money - cycles
- challenges - isolation, heat, harsh weather, language barriers, teaching with low attendance and transiency, head lice just a continuous experience
- now at Mooroopna park primary school - top 3% disadvantaged schools in Australia
- 40% indigenous
- domestic violence, very low socio socioeconomic, trauma
- voted as 2nd top teacher at primary in VIC
- husband is now the art teacher at the school