Mary MacKillop was born in Melbourne in 1842. When she was in Penola she met Julian Tenison Woods and together they opened the first St Joseph's School in 1866.
Mary MacKillop founded the Sisters of St Joseph to continue this work. Over the many following years, the number of Sisters grew as did their schools. Schools were opened as the needs arose: in country towns, mining towns, cities. The Sisters also became involved in other areas of need including setting up a refuge for women in need and orphanages for children, visiting prisons and working with the sick.
Sisters of St Joseph
Mary MackIllop never came to the Kimberleys but her sisters continued her legacy.
Ngalangangpum School is located in Warmun Aboriginal Community, halfway between Halls Creek and Kununurra in the remote East Kimberley region of Western Australia. With a fluctuating population of over 400 people, this is one of the biggest Aboriginal communities in Western Australia. The majority of its residents are members of the Kija language group.
Ngalangangpum School was established in 1979 at the request of the Warmun community. At the time, most children were enrolled in St Joseph’s School in Wyndham, only returning to Warmun for the holidays. This was not a satisfactory situation. People were worried that the children would lose their traditional culture and language in the town setting.
The Warmun Community members wanted to be in more control of the education of their children. The community decided upon a Two-Way school based on the Catholic belief. A Community School Board was formed which continues to be responsible for the school policy.
In May 1979 Ngalangangpum School became a reality. Two sisters of Saint Joseph had arrived and the children had returned to their families. As the school building was not completed yet, lessons started under a large tree in Garden Area. This was a central position where all adults could become involved. The main teaching materials were leaves, pebbles, chalk, slates and sticks. Old car bodies were sometimes used as desks. Meanwhile men from the community built a bough shed, which provided a more pleasant teaching environment. Later, they built a basketball court and installed playground equipment.
The women planted trees, lawns and shrubs, which they tended and nurtured. From the beginning they have also run the school community kitchen, where lunch is prepared each day for the children.
Some of the older men and women took on the responsibility of teaching the Kija language, as well as acting as storytellers and demonstrators of traditional art, craft, song and dance techniques.
At first boys and girls were separated for language and cultural sessions, but as this presented a difficulty in regard to the daily Kija input, soon approval was given for mixed instruction. Bush trips were organized as well, so that the children were able to learn in a practical way.
It was the adults wish that stories relating to activities like bush trips were recorded in a Two-Way fashion. For this aim the Kija Language Program came into being and a linguist was appointed.
Mary MacKillop ….
Mary MacKilop's famous saying was "Never see a need without doing something about it"
Well..... there was a need, a geochache in her honour, and something has been done about it!
This is one of many caches placed in significant locations of her story.
Mary died on August 8th, 1909.
She was declared Australia’s first Saint in 2010.
The cache will be maintained by Eagle Warmun.