A short email I received from one of our Community Liason Officers detailing some of the issues our students deal with.

NO NAMES AND IN SOME CASES, PLACES, APPEAR HERE FOR PRIVACY
Firstly from the weekend,


On Monday I returned ******* to ******* for a funeral and he has chosen not to return this year.

I went looking too for ******* and ******** to come in, but they were hiding properly. I enlisted grandmothers and white staff to help me but was told the task was pointless because the family were having a hard time at the moment and that we should abandon the effort. The ‘hard time’ is worth telling here. About 3 years ago ***** and *****’s 14 year old Uncle passed away in his sleep after having a mix of grog and gunja and blame for the lack of care was handed around between the extended family with repercussions to date. Last year the younger brother, one of twins hung himself at *****, from where his father came. The people noted that at the funeral his twin announced that ‘he would see him there’. On Sunday he made an attempt to do so and was air evacuated to Alice with his grandfather. In the meantime another 16 year old member of the family has hung himself at ***** following pressures it seems to do with his new marriage there. All four boys were students at Yirara. These are the issues that our students and their families have to deal with. They need our help, especially our prayers.

I picked up ***** and ***** from Papunya on the way home.

Kintore / Mt Liebig students:: *****and *****are still at large – AWOL form the weekend. ***** is with her father somewhere around town and mostly on foot it seems as I have had no luck door-knocking. As far as I know, ***** is with her.

*****is at Amoonguna with her complete family.

All of these are waiting for royalties to be paid this week. But there is also men’s business at Kintore and two funerals for Mt Liebig people, and the people’s mind’s are occupied in quietness.