Returning to Remote WA
Lessons that extend generations - How Michael’s childhood in the Pilbara shaped his experience on the Strelley Rural Program
The front entrance of Strelley Community School - Warralong Campus
Volunteering with Teach Learn Grow (TLG) doesn’t only provide opportunities to reflect on our own experiences with education but it also allows us to apply valuable lessons from these experiences. Lessons that equip us with the tools and insight to support other students in navigating the challenges that come with growing up in rural and regional communities. Returning to where Michael grew up, the Pilbara, for his most recent Rural Program really highlighted the vast array of students who are in need of this support and how important it is that volunteers like him are there to provide that.
Michael (left) and the team of volunteers who went to Strelley Community School.
Michael was born in Port Hedland but spent most of his childhood moving between Karratha and Perth. Having attended primary school in Karratha, he can appreciate the sense of community that is felt growing up in a smaller town. However, he also understands firsthand just how challenging it can be to go to school in a rural area. Reflecting on his childhood observations through his volunteer work with TLG gave him the chance to recognise the disparity in privilege and access to resources that exists in regional Western Australia.
“I loved my time in Karratha but also looking back, I can reflect on my childhood observations of mixed attendance levels and student outcomes in the classes. The disparity between classmates who were fortunate enough to have the privilege of resources and classmates who didn’t, saddens me.”
Having now done nine Rural Programs and stepping into the role of TLG’s Finance Director in 2022, it’s safe to say that Michael is pretty well acquainted with the challenges that come with living rurally. However, attending the Warralong campus at Strelley Community School was a completely new experience for him that he says was, “both incredible and eye-opening at the same time.”
The bus ride to Strelley Community School.
“Strelley brought a community that felt a world away from my own Pilbara experiences and memories - and just how really remote it is! Being so far away from services and stores that get taken for granted everywhere else. It really reinforced my prior understanding of the disparities faced by rural and regional communities.”
After seeing just how far Strelley was from basic amenities, he was able to fully appreciate the role that Strelley Community School has in the town. Not only does the school ensure the education of their students but it’s also a safe place where kids can go to have fun whilst ensuring their basic needs (such as access to food and clean water) are met too.
“Getting to build relationships with the kids as a TLG volunteer was a real privilege and I know both the students and other volunteers alike are excited for more fun-filled Rural Programs in the future. The way that our group of tutors on the Program managed to build relationships with their students was a real highlight, especially given that the school hadn’t had TLG visit before. The students were so eager to have us involved. Whether it be playing sport before school, getting books read to us, sitting down to do some maths or to play games after school had finished for the day - seeing the smiles and just how happy some of the students were when we play with them was so touching and heartwarming.”
Michael’s experience on the Strelley Rural Program serves as a great reminder of just how diverse rural and remote communities in Western Australia are. His understanding of the nuances that come with living in the Pilbara allowed him and his team of TLG volunteers to build long-lasting relationships with their students whilst re-igniting their interest in school.
Written by Chiara Bevan
Photos provided by Danyon Cutler
Volunteers on the Strelley Rural Program.