The Nullagine Rural Program

November 2022 saw the recommencement of the Rural Program and 225 volunteers ventured out to all corners of WA to tutor nearly 900 students at 16 remote primary schools.

Mikeala Z, the TLG Marketing Manager and an Executive Volunteer, has recounted her firsthand, magical experience, visiting one of Australia’s most remote communities on her third Rural Program with TLG.

“Last year, after the conclusion of the semester of study, I departed on my third rural program. Having only met 1 of the other 7 people that’d be joining me in Nullagine, Western Australia, I was nervous. Nullagine is a remote community, 200km north of Newman in WA’s Pilbara region. I had never heard of the town before, nor the school ‘Nullagine Primary’, a small 3 class school accessible to the town centre by unsealed roads. It is the epitome of remote community, whereby the everyone welcomed us with the biggest for smiles and most welcoming of hearts.

We caught the Plane to Newman, departing from Perth Domestic Airport, surrounded by FIFO workers. They all stared at us, wondering what one earth a bunch of random teenagers were doing travelling to the isolated mining town. Once we arrived at Newman, we were picked up by two FMG drivers who were so kind and welcoming. They took us for lunch in town and drove us all the way to Nullagine before heading back to the mine in Christmas Creek.

Nullagine Primary services the Irrungadji Community of Martu people and children of service workers in the town. The Martu students are taught in English as a Second Language and Aboriginal English as the first dialect with Standard Australian English is used only in the school setting. This was super special for us coming in, as all the kids has a genuine passion and connection for culture that they were so generous in sharing with us. Everyday they’d teach us Martu words, most notably the word ‘Jitba’, meaning Sister. Jitba became a name thrown around daily, truly proving the strong connections we made with these incredible kids.

The kids were the just as kind and welcoming as the community, immediately accepting us as tutors and proving their willingness to learn through excitement. After learning new schools in the classroom, they’d run outside wanting to show us their newly mastered maths skills. But there was one thing they wouldn’t show us, a special surprise they kept teasing us with…

Nearing the last day there they invited us to a local park and when we headed over after sunrise to watch the most adorable Christmas concert and lighting of the towns Christmas tree, where they sang and danced to a Christmas song, showing us the moves they’d been practicing in secret.

That was the end to the amazing race that the town had organised, that we were able to help out with. With different stations scattered around the town, including the Mantingunyan Art Gallery that helps with the sales of prints and original artwork done in the local community of the Nullagine & Irrungadji Community. They also allowed us to go through the Gallery, explaining the stories that each piece of art told.

All of these incredible experiences brought our groups of strangers extremely close, as the education, community and cultural aspect of this program, so often does. These once strangers are now some of my closest friends and we share a bond that is so memorable. This organisation, and specifically, the Rural Program truly ignites a passion and gratitude in me that I only hope others can experience at least once in their lifetime. Again and again I am reminded of my privilege that is so automatically granted, when living in Perth metro area, and this program grants me the opportunity to use that privilege for the benefit of others. The luck that allows me to be in a place to help others is something that we often take for granted, and it would be nothing short of regret if that is wasted.

Thanks to the support of Novo and Fortescue Metal Group specifically for this program in Nullagine, we were able to travel to, stay at and tutor in an incredible community, make friends and lifelong connections and strengthen our skills in leadership, creativity and love.”