Friends of Nungalinya |
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| We remember vividly our time at Nungalinya College where we were put to work on the day we arrived. The College
grounds’ caretaker had taken ill and was flown to Adelaide for treatment. Ray took over the duties of watering the grounds
and general maintenance work, which included installing slide-out keyboard shelves into computer desks. I was put to work in
the office organising a new filing system and archiving the old system. I also photocopied invitations to an exhibition of contemporary textile art by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island artists. The invitations were printed on A4 thin coloured cardboard that someone had drawn wiggly lines down several times with different coloured paints, and had then dabbed a paintbrush around over the lines. I wasn’t really impressed at having to print invitations on this cardboard, but the effect was brilliant and they looked terrific when finished and trimmed. I guess that’s why they are called artists, and I am not! In the College shop, I ironed hand painted silk handkerchiefs and folded hand painted scarves ready for sale. I printed note cards; copying 100 of each of eight different cards, trimming them to size, folding, collating into tens and enclosing envelopes, then tying them with raffia ready for sale. Our experience has given us opportunity to be guest speakers at a Mothers’ Union meeting to speak about our journey as BCA Nomads, illustrating our talk with photos, thank you cards, explaining the different tasks we performed and of the opportunity to support those in lonely outback places. Being there to see some of their culture first hand and experiencing the friendliness that had been extended to us was wonderful. We were very emotionally moved and found it hard not to cry with joy when seated in the middle of a room with staff and students gathered around us singing first in English and then in different Aboriginal languages. We had so many great moments at Nungalinya. The day of our farewell we were invited to a ‘special morning tea’ with staff and teachers where they said how they “appreciated immensely the giving of ourselves” and how our presence had encouraged them. We were each presented with a special ‘I am a friend of Nungalinya College’ T-shirt and a picnic cloth made by a student using a marbling technique and screen-printing. We would recommend travelling as BCA Nomads to any retirees who are fit and able to help out with a few odd jobs. We still refer to ourselves as ‘BCA Nomads’ when we sign the visitor’s book at churches we visit during our travels, and have spoken many times about the rewarding concept of BCA Nomads. Most people are surprised that such a programme exists and that so many volunteers are involved. Ray & Elizabeth Hoyle
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Copyright © 2006 Bush Church Aid Society of Australia |