Bracing the 5.30am chill, 17 eager Year 11 students and their three amazing teachers left Magdalene for a twelve-hour trip to Brewarrina, in the state’s north-west. Despite the draining trip in Magdalene’s school bus affectionately named “Priscilla” for the trip, the enthusiasm of the students did not stop after we arrived in Brewarrina. During our first day in ‘Bre’, everyone headed out to the primary school and got to see the small township for the first time. The Magdalene students got to spend time in the classrooms and work with the students of St. Patrick’s Primary School, Brewarrina. After countless reading activities, maths worksheets and football games, bonds between the school groups soon began to form and strengthen. During our time at the primary school, we had the opportunity to run fun drama, music, art and sports activities which the primary school students thoroughly enjoyed.

During our time in Bre, we also had the opportunity to meet some of the town's influential residents. We hosted Uncle Morris and Senior Sergeant Chris Woods, the Sector Supervisor for Brewarrina, who answered all of our questions about Bre, its indigenous population, crime rates and major issues facing the town. This opened our eyes up to what it must be like living in Bre and what could we do to assist the town’s residents in dealing with the major issues, such as poverty and the drought. We also got the opportunity to visit the heritage-listed Brewarrina Fish Traps, which is a 40,000+-year-old man-made structure used by the area’s Indigenous population to trap and store fish. Our tour guide, Brad, shared his knowledge of the history of the fish traps and took us through the Brewarrina Aboriginal Cultural Museum.

On the fourth day of our trip, we headed out to Bourke to enjoy some sightseeing and visit the Maranguka Hub for the Justice Reinvest NSW initiative. The Maranguka Project aims to prevent imprisonment for citizens who have just been released from incarceration, are at risk of committing a crime or are recognised as vulnerable individuals or families. Their focus is community centred, and they seek feedback from the locals in Bourke on what their highest needs are and what can help to meet those needs. We were thrilled to hear that since the Maranguka Project was established the rates of major offences in Bourke have dropped by 18%. Our visit to the Maranguka Hub changed our perceptions of Bourke and allowed us to witness a successful community initiative. In our time in Bourke, we tried award-winning pies, witnessed the upsetting current state of the Darling River and had time to reflect and appreciate the silence in the outback during our visit to the Mulgowan Aboriginal cave art in the Gundabooka National Park.

This trip has been a life-changing experience for everyone and will certainly not be forgotten. New friendships were formed, many memories were created and mindsets were changed. As a group, we were able to experience first hand what it is like to live in a rural town, the constant challenges that are faced and this made us appreciate what we have as Sydney-siders. All of Magdalene’s Brewarrina students would like to thank Mr Collins, Miss Gray and Mrs Phillips for sacrificing so much of their time to be with us and accompanying us on this journey. We look forward to welcoming some of the St. Patrick’s students to Magdalene next year!

Larissa Hooper

Yr 11