Background

The Groote Archipelago is located in the waters of the Arafura Sea, in Australia’s far north. The 1,500 Warnindilyakwa people who reside here are spread across three communities of Umbakumba, Angurugu, and Milyakburra, as well as satellite communities of Bartalumba Bay, Four Mile, Little Paradise, Malkala and Thompsons Bay. We have occupied the region for over eight thousand years, and uphold strong ceremonial traditions whilst embracing our salt water culture. Today, there are 180 Aboriginal students who attend four schools, one located in each of the three larger communities, plus a school in Alyangula. Our children come from a long line of capable and resilient people, who are strong in language and culture and are capable in many ways. However, there are ongoing issues with our children being able to demonstrate their ability under the existing schooling system, and they experience very poor educational outcomes when compared to others.

The principal driver for these differences in educational outcomes is low attendance rates at school. Our children are estimated to miss more than seven years out of a possible twelve years of schooling. There are many challenges in maintaining their attendance at school stemming from home, school and individual circumstances, many of which come from challenges in adapting to an educational system that is so different from the one that sustained us for thousands of years.

Warnindilyakwa elders acknowledge that learning is the key to a belter future, and that it is essential for our children to be educated in ways that will help them to walk in both worlds. We know that children who attend school to Year 12 have belter health and choices for employment; but this is only when education meets our children’s needs and supports their engagement. We need to think of new ways of approaching schooling to allow this to happen. Telling our kids that they are failing is not going to help, and will only make them feel worse about themselves. We know that new ways of doing things will make a difference.

The Anindilyakwa Land Council (ALC)’s 15 Year Strategic Plan was prepared in 2012 and provides a clear set of visions, principles and goals to allow the Warnindilyakwa people to take the future into our own hands and to deliver an economically viable, culturally rich and sustainable community, independent of mining royalty income. The Strategic Plan acknowledged education as one of the critical issues facing the Warnindilyakwa people.

On 14 November 2018, the Chairman of the ALC, and the Northern Territory Government signed the Local Decision Making Agreement for the Groote Archipelago. A key pillar of that agreement is the transition of Anindilyakwa schools to a single, locally-supported and locally-governed education system, including the establishment of a new local independent boarding school.

The Groote Eylandt Bickerton Island Primary College Aboriginal Corporation (GEBIPCAC) was formally registered under the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 through the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations (ORIC) on 20 November 2018 to establish and operate the Wurriyukwayuwa-Langwa College (the “College”). The founding Board was nominated through extensive community consultation held in July 2018, in which every house, in every community was surveyed for preferences about the operation of the new local boarding school.

It was agreed by the community through consultation and in community meetings held, that in order to develop the future leaders of the Groote Archipelago, without isolating children from our culture, an independent boarding school should be established in the region. The College will provide a unique educational and boarding facility within the Groote Archipelago where our children can receive a quality bilingual education in a safe and caring environment that teaches life skills as well as delivering academic programmes.