Reflections
Reflections of an Immersion to the Top End
Ms Lynne Mungomery
Director of Service
My name is Lynne. My Skin Name is Galajan and my Totem is the black cockatoo. I am the daughter of an English immigrant who met his life partner on Gunaikurnai Country in Victoria. As a young family, we moved to Wulgurukaba tribal territory in North Queensland. I now live on Turrbal and Jagera Country in southeast Queensland. Today, I pay my respect to the elders and traditional owners of Jawoyn Country, who recently welcomed me to their Land, and opened their hearts to share with me their wisdom, traditions and culture. I extend this respect to their ancestors, who kept me safe while I visited their Land. It is with great fondness that I think of their young family members, the grandchildren who opened my eyes to their joy of learning and their inherent respect for family and culture.
I make this Acknowledgement of Country from the heart. These words have a deeper meaning to me now, having spent time on Country and connecting with the traditional owners of Banatjarl and Barrapunta, on an eight-day immersion with a colleague and 14 Grammar girls to Southern Arnhem Land.
I am unsure if the way I express this Acknowledgment of Country is absolutely correct. Perhaps it might offend an Indigenous person who might be reading this reflection. I hope not. However, as I often say to students and colleagues when I open an assembly or a meeting with similar words, it is my attempt to reach out and express my appreciation for the tremendous history of this place that we call home. With fresh confidence bestowed on me by the Elders we connected with during our Top End Immersion, I feel encouraged that my intention to respect their culture with these words is appreciated.
As a visiting school group, we had the honour of taking part in a Welcome to Country ceremony upon arrival at each Homeland. It was important that the Traditional Owners welcome us to their land. Each ceremony was slightly different, consistent with the many ways and customs of the different peoples in the Northern Territory. What was similar was the request made by the Elders, to their ancestors, to keep their visitors safe. At Banatjarl the ceremony was led by Aunty Joanne. An important aspect was the inclusion and guidance she offered to her granddaughters in wetting our heads in a water ceremony. Smoke was a sacred addition to a similar water blessing at Barrapunta.
Students set an array of personal intentions in joining the Immersion. A common theme was the rare opportunity to explore the Homelands, to meet the Traditional Owners, and to engage in activities that most people would never experience as a visiting traveller. The students hoped to learn about deep-seated traditions and engage with Indigenous communities on their land. Essentially, students wished to make connections, build relationships and enhance their individual understanding as they connected with Country and the People.
Such optimistic expectations were perhaps in contrast to our feelings upon arrival at Banatjarl. The now extremely dusty 4WD bus and trailer, which had earlier been filled with the vocals of (surely) every Taylor Swift song, was now silent. A chain wire fence, a large dusty concrete slab and shed, random chairs and littered surrounds evoked feelings of unease. However, it was not long before the shed was filled with children from the few nearby houses. They delighted us with their genuine excitement and joy to welcome and get to know us. The sharing of simple games, food, and a campfire meant that the unfamiliar environment soon became one of kindness and warmth. The following day we experienced basket weaving and bush medicine with the women of the Banatjarl Strongbala Wimun Grup, as well as swimming, fishing and the smoky sunset with the families of the community. It was on this evening that we each received our Skin Name and Totem from the Elders.
We then travelled many miles on the narrow Central Arnhem Road, filled with red dust, potholes, road trains and squeals from the back seat of the bus as we bounced around, secured by our seat belts. Gazing out the bus window offered a rapidly changing landscape—from cultural burning to an unseasonal green dry season (courtesy of a heavy wet season), with waterholes filled with wild water buffalo, and the occasional brahman, dingo and donkey. It was refreshing to stare out the window and reflect on all that we had experienced in this first week of our school holidays.
In stark contrast to our previous Homeland was the new landscape at Barrapunta. Tall shady trees, grass cover that easily accepted thin metal tent pegs, and the knowledge that tents could remain standing for three days. This helped when the trailer was opened to reveal our luggage covered in fine red dust. Like some other Homelands, Barrapunta has an airstrip, solar panels for lighting the central stone brick building, an abundance of fresh spring water and wireless internet. The latter seemed to be ignored by the young travellers who admitted to enjoying their digital detox.
Traditional Owners, Anne and Alfred, do not live onsite. Along with their granddaughter, Latifa, they joined us on the bus from Bulman. Time with Anne and Alfred was spent listening intently to many stories, feasting on Anne’s damper and the kangaroo tail that Alfred cooked in the earth oven.
It is intended that the Barrapunta Community will be able to live and work on this picturesque Homeland in the future. We hope that our community projects will contribute to this goal. The bathrooms now have new shower heads, rails and curtains, and the tranquil waterhole has a safer entry place following some clearing and the addition of a gabion step—evidence of our effort and fundraising in action.
From here, I am unsure if I will again have the privilege of being welcomed onto Homelands, learning from Traditional Owners and experiencing the many crafts and customs of our First Peoples, all of which have offered valuable personal insights for myself and the students. Upon our return to school, we hope to nurture greater cultural understanding, empathy, and awareness within the BGGS community, building a bridge between cultures (George, 2023).
As we expected, it was challenging to leave behind the shared experiences, new friendships and stories of the places that we previously recognised as King Valley Station and Emu Springs. While the pathway to genuine reconciliation and ‘closing the gap’ remains immense, camp-fire reflections reveal a desire to learn more about, and preserve, Indigenous knowledge, culture and history. For now, we have very fond memories of our Top End Immersion with the people and lands of Banatjarl and Barrapunta.