Students and staff from St John’s Anglican College had the opportunity to immerse themselves in Indigenous culture while exploring the Australian Red Centre in June this year.
12 students from Year 9-12 departed for the Red Centre on June 19 with St John’s Anglican College deputy principal Robern Hinchliffe and head of middle school Braydon Giles as part of a cultural and exploration experience.
They embarked on a two-day hike across the Larapinta trail, summited Mt Sonder, visited Kata Tjuta and experienced the beauty of Uluru and the Field of Lights; a display of 50,000 solar-powered glowing flowers.
Mrs Hinchliffe said the trip included a combination of cultural immersion, exploration and leadership development for students.
The college would usually take a group of students to various developing countries for service work every two years, but decided to go to the Red Centre after parents expressed interest in an Australian destination.
“I think it’s important for young people to understand the country that they live in, and certainly the Red Centre is a spiritual place and a very important part of our Australian history,” Mrs Hinchliffe said.
“It was really special to be able to take our young people out there so they could experience this.”
St John’s Anglican College student Caleb said one of his favourite memories was during the walk with local guide Eveline, who passionately recounted traditional Dreamtime stories as she sat in the red dust at the foot of Uluru.
“She was teaching us about the early stories about her ancestries – for example, how they hunted,” he said.
“It made me have a deeper appreciation for the native Indigenous Australians land and culture – learning about how they survived off the land and how the land provided them with medical aid.”
Lara said the trip challenged her mental and physically, especially when hiking up Mt Sonder.
“Many others were challenged with sleeping outside or with the kind of food we ate,” she said.
Karl said “I will never forget the friendships I formed on this trip and how confident I now feel in unfamiliar surroundings.”
Mrs Hinchliffe said another highlight of the trip was witnessing the sheer beauty of the Red Centre, as well as the enormity of Kata Tjuta and Uluru.
She said the college hoped to be able to do the trip on a regular basis in the future.
