Media Release
Yirrkala CEC celebrates first ‘homegrown’ graduates
Thursday 23 March 2006
Four Indigenous senior school graduates were the special guests of honour at a celebration at Yirrkala Community Education Centre today. Ganbilpil White, Waywalk Guyula, Gandhurrminy Yunupingu and Bulmirri Yunupingu became Yirrkala CEC’s first homegrown graduates when they achieved their Northern Territory Certificates of Education late last year.
The celebration was planned and directed by Yambirrpa Schools Council, the governing body of Yirrkala CEC and Yirrkala Homelands Schools, with fellow students, staff and members of the local community gathering to celebrate the success. Anna Doncaster and Jo Taranto, two of the teachers instrumental in the students NTCE success traveled from Byron Bay and Sydney respectively to be present at the celebration.
The program included speeches by the Chairman of Yambirrpa Schools Council, Wali Wunungmurra and Leon White, the former Principal of Yirrkala CEC, a great advocate for secondary provision in remote schools for the past 25 years, and father of Ganbilpil White.
There was also a performance by Mandawuy Yunupingu, the father of Bulmirri and Gandhurrminy, with fellow Yothu Yindi band member Stewart Kellaway. The finale was a performance by the ‘Wild Honey’ Band, a school band that features all four graduates. They performed tracks from their CD “Wild Honey” which was submitted as part of their NTCE Music course last year.
The Department of Employment, Education and Training’s Acting Schools Division General Manager (Palmerston/East Arnhem) Peter Clarke said the school community had every reason to be celebrating today.
“Yirrkala CEC began offering NTCE schooling in 2004, so this is a remarkable outcome in such a short period of time.
Mr Clarke said receiving an NTCE is a major milestone in any student’s life and the culmination of a lot of commitment and dedication.
“Can I congratulate the students on a job well done - and can I congratulate the principal, teachers and support staff for their dedication and leadership.”
“The fact that these four former students are now employed represents a big step in the direction of growing the capacity of remote communities – and further cause for celebration,” he said.
Gandhurrminy works for the Drug and Alcohol section of the local Dhanbul Council, Ganbilpil is employed by Dhimurru Land Management Corporation and both Waywalk and Bulmirri have secured work with the Department of Employment, Education and Training in Yirrkala.
Last year, for the first time, all five remote community education centres that are accredited to provide senior secondary studies produced graduates. The 25 remote graduates brought the total number of Indigenous Territorians to attain their NTCEs to a record 106.