INSPIRING Indigenous guest speakers offering valuable insights into Reconciliation
and leadership held more than 60 secondary students and educators spellbound at the
PALS Ambassador Workshop in Mt Claremont on September 3.
Students travelled from as far away as Mandurah to attend the event featuring the first
Aboriginal Magistrate in the Children's Court of WA Dr Sue Gordon AM, PALS Program
Ambassador Troy Cook and WA Youth of the Year Leadership Award Winner Thierra
Clanton.
PALS (Partnership, Acceptance, Learning, Sharing) is an initiative of the Department of
Indigenous Affairs in partnership with BHP Billiton that encourages young Western
Australians to develop projects that promote and advance Reconciliation.
Port Hedland 17 year old Thierra Clanton proved a hit with students and educators as
she outlined the community work which earned her the WA Youth of the Year
Leadership Award.
At 15 years of age she became a founding member of the Hedland Youth Leadership
Coalition which aims to represent, inspire and encourage young people to speak up
and take action about issues that are important to them in the Hedland community.
A proud Noongar woman, she encouraged the students to embrace their culture, have
a voice, work hard to achieve their goals and to not forget to have fun along the way.
“Making a difference, making it a better place for the next youth who come along, that’s
a real passion of mine,” she said.
“Be an individual, speak up for yourself.
“Be proud of who you are, be bold and be courageous.”
She said Reconciliation was about working together with all members of the community
to make things better while acknowledging the issues of the past.
Retired magistrate Dr Gordon urged the students to learn about Indigenous history and
also to look to the future with a focus on education as a way to achieve their goals.
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Government of Western Australia
She also offered an insight into the Stolen Generations through her experiences as a
child.
“Helping yourself to help your own community is a form of Reconciliation,” Dr Gordon
said.
“So reconciling with ourselves, reconciling with our past and reconciling with our future,
and making sure that we push education, is really how I view Reconciliation.”
Indigenous film maker and traditional culture teacher Dennis Simmons also discussed
Reconciliation.
He encouraged the students to get involved in educating both the Indigenous and nonindigenous
communities about each other to promote understanding and respect
between all people.
Troy Cook presented an engaging talk about his career and community work as well as
answering questions from the audience.
He told the students to persevere and think positive in order to achieve their goals.
Department of Indigenous Affairs Director General Patrick Walker and Vice President
Sustainability BHP Billiton Iron Ore Carl Binning also spoke at the event.
Mr Walker told the students that his generation had not done well in terms of improving
conditions for Indigenous Australians and the next generation needs to build upon what
has now been started.
“A lot of us have tried to do very good things and have been moderately successful,” he
said.
“But I’ve got to tell you that we can do much better.”
Mr Walker told the students it was important that they take up the challenge to further
advance Reconciliation and that the PALS Program provided an opportunity for them to
start on this journey.
He congratulated the students on gaining a place at the workshop and urged them to
become PALS ambassadors regardless of which path in life they eventually chose to
pursue.
Carl Binning agreed that there were many serious issues currently facing Indigenous
communities.
He said Reconciliation was about acknowledging and recognising difference and also
acknowledging and celebrating diversity in culture.
It was a mistake to assume everyone should be the same or should have the same
culture.
Government of Western Australia
“Another mistake we often make in Australia is to assume all Indigenous people share
exactly the same culture,” Mr Binning said.
“But of course there are so many different clans and tribes among Indigenous people,
all with their own stories and their different places.”
He said the PALS Program allowed students to discover this rich range of cultures
helping to build a bridge between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.
A lack of understanding can lead to non-Indigenous people failing to engage with the
Indigenous community, to simply walk on past rather than strike up a conversation.
Students attending came from Belridge Senior High School, CBC Fremantle, Corpus
Christi College, Cecil Andrews SHS, John Curtin College of the Arts, Halls Head
Community College, Kensington Secondary School, Kinross College, Lockridge Senior
High School, Mandurah Senior College, Mater Dei College, Morley Senior High School,
South Fremantle Senior High School, Southern River College and Yule Brook College.
