Red Dust earlier this month  took a group of students from St Gregory’s College in NSW to Tiwi College to engage in a cultural exchange and leadership program.

Their teacher, Matthew Brennan, let’s us know what they got up to…

Stage Three of the Red Dust Leadership Program took place in early June with a trip to the Tiwi Islands. The students were accompanied by David Callow (Red Dust Photographer) and Kyle Vander Kuyp (Red Dust Ambassador). This was a particularly impressive trip as the boys were challenged significantly more than their initial immersion in 2011. The boys were involved in a reading program with middle school boys, an information session with the primary school culminating in giving a prepared speech to the senior girls. The boys were also expected to do a share of the work, weeding gardens, rounding up the poultry and general cleaning duties.

It wasn’t all work though with great times had at the swimming hole and on the buses. Also the tour of the boarding facilities and husking a coconut will be long remembered. Special thanks to Mr Smith, Jason Ryan and all at Tiwi College for the welcome they gave and their generosity in allowing the boys of St Gregory’s to be involved in such a worthwhile program. Finally to David, Kyle, Linley and all the team at Red Dust for their ongoing support of the St Gregory’s Indigenous Leadership Program proudly backed by the good people at The Smith family under the guidance of Leanne Smith.

Red Dust looks forward to hosting the boys on another trip later in the year.