Cs boarding school
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I need your help.
Last year I started to work to get one of my remote Indigenous students to a boarding school. I will call her C. It proved more difficult than I had ever anticipated. Her class teacher took on the task of getting her birth certificate. The first hurdle. We discovered C, like 25% of Indigenous children, wasn't birth registered. Her mother had to sign forms and provide ID. Her teacher asked C to bring mum in to school but she never arrived. Many Indigenous parents are not comfortable coming into school. I suggested we take the school car after school and go and get her. Many non Indigenous people are not comfortable going into the communities. I forced the issue and off we went. My colleague spotted mum walking down the road. Great, just stop the car.My colleague felt we were stalking and was very reluctant but she had no choice as I was yelling out the window. This was the first time I had met mum. She is just a few years older than my own daughter. She was shy, quietly spoken and happy to do as we asked which was come with us two total strangers, go home get I D and go to the school so we could photocopy it. I came to know that like many Indigenous women first appearances are misleading. They are strong and tenacious with a wicked sense of humour. C's mum happily came with us and enjoyed the chocolate cake I miraculously found in the school fridge. What school fridge has chocolate cake in it at the end of the day? Emails, phone calls and more forms and 4 months later we were closer but still no certificate. While my colleague continued to pursue the birth certificate, I luckily had some forced time on my hands and am qualified administer the WA Learner Drivers permit test. I went to Cs house after school and on the weekends and we sat in the heat and the flies on her porch and practised for the test. English is her second language so she had to learn a lot of vocabulary. She passed.
Meanwhile I was working with her mother to get ABstudy and to enrol C in a boarding school. Though mum was capable of talking to ABstudy by herself she lacked the confidence. We sat with my phone on loudspeaker as she spoke, looking at me to confirm she had understood and was saying the right thing. I just nodded. Then we got all the documentation and ID and C, her mother and I drove the long trip into the nearest centrelink and police licencing centre. First, because we lacked the birth certificate we drove around neigbouring communities to get the signatures of Elders who could say they knew her.
Trying to get her mother into the police station was difficult. Her mother only knew bad things about the police and considered she was going to be arrested if she went in. Finally, she came with me, holding my hand and trembling. I recognized the licencing person. She and I had met over several beers at the pub in Marble Bar, 350 ks away from us, where we were listening to a fabulous singer. There was only 4 of us in the audience. We had happily chatted together. That chance meeting proved pivitol. Despite all our efforts, without the birth certificate C couldnt get her licence.
Driving infringements are the first steps to jail for many Indigenous people. They cant get their licence because if lack of iD, and, or they cannot read write or speak standard English. They may also have little cultural understanding of the processes our dominant society has put in place. They live far away from large centres so they learn to drive on the dirt tracks. Then drive into town and get picked up for driving without a licence. They get a fine , dont pay it for multiple reasons then they are jailed. The only person in Cs extended family with a licence was her 85 year old great grandfather. And his eyesight is questionable.
The licencing officer rang the birth registry office and discovered there was yet another form. She asked for the form to be emailed to her , she printed it and C and her mother signed and showed all the necessary ID and then it was scanned and sent back. The licencing officer was fabulous. The process was complete. 3 months later the certificate arrived.
Meanwhile I was trying to get ABstudy, and C enrolled. We lodged all the documents at centrelink and filled out the forms for a tax file number. I emailed everything to the school and then drove out of the community on the 5000k trip home. In communities the NBN has arrived but no one has a computer and most dont have touch phones. Phone numbers change regularly so I was worried about losing contact. Cs mother promised to ring me every week . She was true to her word and as predicted I now have a string of old numbers for her.
I arrived in Greensborough and in the new year I spent a frustrating day at Centerlink. They couldnt find the file then needed more documents. I was now a long way from the family and just hoped what I had was enough. At the start of the school year I rang the boarding school to find out the arrangements for C. They had no record of her. They had changed staff and files were not downloaded. I resent everything and rang ABstudy. I was told that AB study had been granted two months earlier. So what was all that business I had gone through at centrelink? No idea. Some months later I discovered the tax file forms had never been lodged either. Thanks Centrelink.
I rang the school and they had not heard from ABstudy but now I had a reference number. They rang and all was good. C was enrolled and ABstudy would pay for a flight for her and her mother to the school while they tested C. The next hurdle was that she had to pass an English test to stay at the school.
The school sent me the plane tickets. I am now in the desert in Northern Territory and 2000ks west of me is C in another desert with internet but no computer. I get a smart idea and ring the art gallery near the towns airport. All the family paints there. They said they would be away on an exhibition but would leave someone behind to take the family and the tickets to the airport.C and her mother were flying out early Friday morning and the family drove in on the Thursday to town, just before the roads were cut off with flooding. The art gallery rang me. The ticket was only for C and was not from the airport but from the community red dirt airport. WtF? I rang the school. They rang ABstudy. Too bad, she had to get on at the community or miss the flight. And then she would have to pay her own way.There was nothing we could do. I was in class the next day when the school rang. I went against the rules and took the call. The plane couldnt land at the community because the runway was under water. They were going to have to land at the town airport . She could get on the flight. I breathed again and rang the art gallery and C. They got her to the airport . I have no idea how a child from a remote community is supposed to get to a boarding school without an advocate. The system is too difficult. Consequently in Western Australia few make it. In NT there are special government agencies that go around and support the students.
I rang her on the weekend. She was fine. I rang the school Monday afternoon.She had failed the English test. She was in Year 11 and at Year 6 level. Not surprising. Education in remote schools on the whole is appalling. The high schools are really an extension of primary and I have met very few good high school teachers. Some of my colleague have been the exceptions. At present in that community the high school teacher is a newly registered grade 1 teacher. This is why we needed her out of there.
My heart sank. Not unexpected. The school said that they were going to have a meeting on Wednesday. I rang Cs mother and prepared her for the bad news. Wednesday afternoon I rang the school. The receptionist started crying. Everyone had fallen in love with C and all her teachers had voted to have her stay. I cried too.
Then I found out that ABstudy pays for the flights, school fees and books. Uniforms, excursions and spending money are not part of the deal. Her mother is giving her money from her pension money. How she is living I have no idea. I spoke to her mother before she left and asked how she was going to cope with missing her only daughter. She looked at me and said," I will miss her but I am proud she goes. I am proud you work with her and I want her to have a different life to me."
So now Ineed your help. There is an excursion in August to Canberra and one in Year 12 to Malaysia and Cambodia. Together it is $3000 with spending money. There is a bill for $700 for her uniform and her mother has received another bill for $200 . Next year is also the formal. She has never worn a dress. I have added about another $1000 for these and other extras.
I am looking for other funding avenues. However, until they come through I need your help. If you can put some money towards this her mother and I would be grateful.
I told her coordinator I was going to make it happen. She said she would put in as well.
I was overcome with the response from my community on FB when I posted the story. I know all of you are making a difference in the world and I really got the support you have for me.
I have no promises for the future here. Moving from a remote community to a boarding school is difficult and many don't make it. Cs mother is so tenacious that I believe C will have no choice. Indigenous families do not usually tell their children what to do and C can make her own decisions but I know there is a solid rock, in the shape of her mother, standing for her.
If you can help, please do.
Anni
Last year I started to work to get one of my remote Indigenous students to a boarding school. I will call her C. It proved more difficult than I had ever anticipated. Her class teacher took on the task of getting her birth certificate. The first hurdle. We discovered C, like 25% of Indigenous children, wasn't birth registered. Her mother had to sign forms and provide ID. Her teacher asked C to bring mum in to school but she never arrived. Many Indigenous parents are not comfortable coming into school. I suggested we take the school car after school and go and get her. Many non Indigenous people are not comfortable going into the communities. I forced the issue and off we went. My colleague spotted mum walking down the road. Great, just stop the car.My colleague felt we were stalking and was very reluctant but she had no choice as I was yelling out the window. This was the first time I had met mum. She is just a few years older than my own daughter. She was shy, quietly spoken and happy to do as we asked which was come with us two total strangers, go home get I D and go to the school so we could photocopy it. I came to know that like many Indigenous women first appearances are misleading. They are strong and tenacious with a wicked sense of humour. C's mum happily came with us and enjoyed the chocolate cake I miraculously found in the school fridge. What school fridge has chocolate cake in it at the end of the day? Emails, phone calls and more forms and 4 months later we were closer but still no certificate. While my colleague continued to pursue the birth certificate, I luckily had some forced time on my hands and am qualified administer the WA Learner Drivers permit test. I went to Cs house after school and on the weekends and we sat in the heat and the flies on her porch and practised for the test. English is her second language so she had to learn a lot of vocabulary. She passed.
Meanwhile I was working with her mother to get ABstudy and to enrol C in a boarding school. Though mum was capable of talking to ABstudy by herself she lacked the confidence. We sat with my phone on loudspeaker as she spoke, looking at me to confirm she had understood and was saying the right thing. I just nodded. Then we got all the documentation and ID and C, her mother and I drove the long trip into the nearest centrelink and police licencing centre. First, because we lacked the birth certificate we drove around neigbouring communities to get the signatures of Elders who could say they knew her.
Trying to get her mother into the police station was difficult. Her mother only knew bad things about the police and considered she was going to be arrested if she went in. Finally, she came with me, holding my hand and trembling. I recognized the licencing person. She and I had met over several beers at the pub in Marble Bar, 350 ks away from us, where we were listening to a fabulous singer. There was only 4 of us in the audience. We had happily chatted together. That chance meeting proved pivitol. Despite all our efforts, without the birth certificate C couldnt get her licence.
Driving infringements are the first steps to jail for many Indigenous people. They cant get their licence because if lack of iD, and, or they cannot read write or speak standard English. They may also have little cultural understanding of the processes our dominant society has put in place. They live far away from large centres so they learn to drive on the dirt tracks. Then drive into town and get picked up for driving without a licence. They get a fine , dont pay it for multiple reasons then they are jailed. The only person in Cs extended family with a licence was her 85 year old great grandfather. And his eyesight is questionable.
The licencing officer rang the birth registry office and discovered there was yet another form. She asked for the form to be emailed to her , she printed it and C and her mother signed and showed all the necessary ID and then it was scanned and sent back. The licencing officer was fabulous. The process was complete. 3 months later the certificate arrived.
Meanwhile I was trying to get ABstudy, and C enrolled. We lodged all the documents at centrelink and filled out the forms for a tax file number. I emailed everything to the school and then drove out of the community on the 5000k trip home. In communities the NBN has arrived but no one has a computer and most dont have touch phones. Phone numbers change regularly so I was worried about losing contact. Cs mother promised to ring me every week . She was true to her word and as predicted I now have a string of old numbers for her.
I arrived in Greensborough and in the new year I spent a frustrating day at Centerlink. They couldnt find the file then needed more documents. I was now a long way from the family and just hoped what I had was enough. At the start of the school year I rang the boarding school to find out the arrangements for C. They had no record of her. They had changed staff and files were not downloaded. I resent everything and rang ABstudy. I was told that AB study had been granted two months earlier. So what was all that business I had gone through at centrelink? No idea. Some months later I discovered the tax file forms had never been lodged either. Thanks Centrelink.
I rang the school and they had not heard from ABstudy but now I had a reference number. They rang and all was good. C was enrolled and ABstudy would pay for a flight for her and her mother to the school while they tested C. The next hurdle was that she had to pass an English test to stay at the school.
The school sent me the plane tickets. I am now in the desert in Northern Territory and 2000ks west of me is C in another desert with internet but no computer. I get a smart idea and ring the art gallery near the towns airport. All the family paints there. They said they would be away on an exhibition but would leave someone behind to take the family and the tickets to the airport.C and her mother were flying out early Friday morning and the family drove in on the Thursday to town, just before the roads were cut off with flooding. The art gallery rang me. The ticket was only for C and was not from the airport but from the community red dirt airport. WtF? I rang the school. They rang ABstudy. Too bad, she had to get on at the community or miss the flight. And then she would have to pay her own way.There was nothing we could do. I was in class the next day when the school rang. I went against the rules and took the call. The plane couldnt land at the community because the runway was under water. They were going to have to land at the town airport . She could get on the flight. I breathed again and rang the art gallery and C. They got her to the airport . I have no idea how a child from a remote community is supposed to get to a boarding school without an advocate. The system is too difficult. Consequently in Western Australia few make it. In NT there are special government agencies that go around and support the students.
I rang her on the weekend. She was fine. I rang the school Monday afternoon.She had failed the English test. She was in Year 11 and at Year 6 level. Not surprising. Education in remote schools on the whole is appalling. The high schools are really an extension of primary and I have met very few good high school teachers. Some of my colleague have been the exceptions. At present in that community the high school teacher is a newly registered grade 1 teacher. This is why we needed her out of there.
My heart sank. Not unexpected. The school said that they were going to have a meeting on Wednesday. I rang Cs mother and prepared her for the bad news. Wednesday afternoon I rang the school. The receptionist started crying. Everyone had fallen in love with C and all her teachers had voted to have her stay. I cried too.
Then I found out that ABstudy pays for the flights, school fees and books. Uniforms, excursions and spending money are not part of the deal. Her mother is giving her money from her pension money. How she is living I have no idea. I spoke to her mother before she left and asked how she was going to cope with missing her only daughter. She looked at me and said," I will miss her but I am proud she goes. I am proud you work with her and I want her to have a different life to me."
So now Ineed your help. There is an excursion in August to Canberra and one in Year 12 to Malaysia and Cambodia. Together it is $3000 with spending money. There is a bill for $700 for her uniform and her mother has received another bill for $200 . Next year is also the formal. She has never worn a dress. I have added about another $1000 for these and other extras.
I am looking for other funding avenues. However, until they come through I need your help. If you can put some money towards this her mother and I would be grateful.
I told her coordinator I was going to make it happen. She said she would put in as well.
I was overcome with the response from my community on FB when I posted the story. I know all of you are making a difference in the world and I really got the support you have for me.
I have no promises for the future here. Moving from a remote community to a boarding school is difficult and many don't make it. Cs mother is so tenacious that I believe C will have no choice. Indigenous families do not usually tell their children what to do and C can make her own decisions but I know there is a solid rock, in the shape of her mother, standing for her.
If you can help, please do.
Anni
Organizer
Ann Adams
Organizer
Western
