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Kintore Campus (Walungurru)

Boarding school for Indigenous students twelve years and older from remote communities

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​In April 2005 ¶þËÄÁùÌìÌìºÃ²Ê opened a new campus at Walungurru (otherwise known as Kintore), an Aboriginal community approximately 500 km west of Alice Springs.

It is difficult to imagine a more remote community in Australia, but this is the land which the Luritja speaking people call nganampa nguru wiru - 'their beautiful land.'

The Finke River Mission, under the auspices of the Lutheran Church of Australia, has had a presence in the Walungurru community for over 30 years. In spite of this presence and the Mission managing ¶þËÄÁùÌìÌìºÃ²Ê, attendance of students at Yirara was sporadic and short-term. Homesickness, cultural and social activities in the community and the distance between ¶þËÄÁùÌìÌìºÃ²Ê and Kintore were unsettling obstacles for students trying to adjust to boarding school life in Alice Springs.

After many years of grappling with these problems, a Yirara teacher was placed in the community, initially just teaching ¶þËÄÁùÌìÌìºÃ²Ê students for the second half of a term. Students would travel to Alice Springs for 6 weeks and return home for the last weeks of the term. This was made possible by the NT Education Department which provided a teaching space and teacher accommodation in the local primary school.

Blog 870 2006 Kintore Campus - Front building

From this beginning and due to the long connection with the Finke River Mission, the community was keen to negotiate the establishment of a secondary campus run by ¶þËÄÁùÌìÌìºÃ²Ê.

A permanent site was negotiated with the community. The council handed the old health clinic to the College. This building was renovated into a four roomed school building, providing classroom space for up to 30 students. A house for the teacher was also made available by the local council.

¶þËÄÁùÌìÌìºÃ²Ê continues to provide staff and mantains the secondary school in Kintore.

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