YARRABAH 2017

For the second week of Term 4, students and staff from McClelland College and Elisabeth Murdoch College joined together for the 2017 trip to the Yarrabah Aboriginal community, located near Cairns. With a population of approximately 4500 people, Yarrabah is the largest Aboriginal community in Australia and consists mainly of Gudanyji and Yidinyji people.

The team were immersed in the Yarrabah community with the learning intention that students develop understandings of the cultures, histories, lives and experiences of a remote indigenous community that will allow them to develop knowledge and skills to engage with and better understand their world. The team were able to develop a cultural connection by becoming involved in activities at the local school and Police Community Youth Centre - a definite highlight of each day! We also experienced some tourist activities offered by the region, such as Tjapakai Culture Centre, Josephine Falls, the Great Barrier Reef, the Daintree Rainforest, Hartley Crocodile Adventure and the markets at Cairns and Port Douglas.

Thanks to all the staff and students involved from both schools – we forged together as a united team throughout the experience and, as well as learning about the Yarrabah culture and community, we also learnt much about each other and ourselves.

A reflection by Rhiannon Dudas-Fleetwood, Year 11: "The Yarrabah experience teaches you a lot of things and one of them is to be grateful of what you have. Every activity we did and place and went to will change your perspective on things, make you rethink your past decisions and make a better future for yourself. It is a life changing experience and if I had the chance I would do it again. Personally my favourite part of the Yarrabah experience was the bond that grew with the whole group and the friendships I have made along the way.”