First Days at Nungalinya

I rose early on Tuesday 27th January ready for my first day at Nungalinya. Having overestimated the time it would take, I had 15 minutes to fill in when I arrived before anyone else showed up. Luckily the car park was peaceful with me as its only occupant!

Lee, the Principal arrived and showed me in. All morining was spent meeting other staff members, although at least one was still trying to cross the flooded Barkly highway! A fellow-theology teacher and the coordinator spent time with me. What a shock to discover that I would not teach any student for the first 6 months because the College is going through a process to get everything 'super dooper' for re-accreditation at the end of 2009. There will actually be a few classes for students who need to continue or who enrolled earlier than the decision to delay was made, but they'll be run by old hands. Everyone new will be doing Certificate IV in February (including moi, of course) and courses are to be revised. I can see there will be many meetings and paperwork.

Lee took me on a tour of the building and I took a sequence of photos on the new camera.

On the left you can see Lee, the Principal, and Renee, the Receptionist, at the photocopier.

In the Middle is the view outside the Office as one heads toward the Chapel, Classrooms, Library, Dining Room and Boarding Block.

On the right, you can get some idea of the nature of the property and a glimpse of units which accommodate 2-4 people who have come in to study.

Left: In one building, 'Dunnilli', fabric crafts are taught (not everything is Theology!). Lillian, the teacher, came out to greet us.
Centre: Banners created for unit presentations have been carefully stored. Many of these are made in the Dunnilli area
Right: Lee held up one banner as a sample

Students are either full-time or part-time and live on site. Units are offered in one-week intensive blocks. Some students come for units, some the whole Certificate continuously.

On the left is the boarding block (there are also smaller units)
In the centre is what everyone refers to as the 'FACS' house, which is where the 'School of Family and Community Studies' operates.

On the right you can see Del in the Dining Room. She had a 'hairy' trip back across the Barkly Highway with flowing water to the top of her tyres! She also caught dengue fever in Cairns, so it was a trip to remember for all the wrong reasons.

Finally, on the left you can see the Chapel where daily Services are held at 8.30 am for the Students during term. The Chapel is a room at the end of the Administration block.

In the middle, you can see Rob and Kerry, who also teach Theology, in the latter's office.

On the right, you can see a section of the Library where all the books are in Aboriginal languages.

Getting the pictures to download onto the site has been a prolonged effort, but I have succeeded. They will all enlarge if you double click on them.

Until next time ................... Love from Rita