KINTORE…VIA PAPUNYAH.

It was with great excitement that we received the news that Kintore required us to teach there for two weeks. It was a chance for us to renew our friendship with our desert family (a term used by the locals) and especially for Gracie to meet up again with Vivica, a little girl whom she got on so well with in 2015.

Kintore (540kms north west of Alice) holds a very special place in our hearts. These people, the Pintupi were the last tribe to come in off the desert and have contact with white people so are still well entrenched in their traditions and beliefs. In fact in 1984, a group of 9 were discovered and were still living the traditional nomadic life, oblivious to white people and settlements.

An account of their discovery and adaption to western ways can be gained by following this link, 

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-30500591

However heavy rains around Kintore meant being delayed at Papunya and saw us doing three days of eye opening teaching at the local school (…ask Rob about Alvin.)

Over the weekend we ventured back into Alice for supplies and waited for the track into Kintore to dry out. We did a day’s teaching at a small community 13kms out of Alice called Amoonguna which was a sharp contrast to our Papunya experience. A most enjoyable day!

We then got the all clear to take the 7 hour trip out to Kintore. We ended up teaching here for two and a half weeks and renewed our acquaintances with Gabby who is now Principal and the Indigenous support staff. We also met new staff members David and Sarah who are making a real impact on life at the school.

We also met Ralph and Kaylene from Echuca who were there as Read Tutors. Ralph and Kaylene have been instrumental in setting up a scheme whereby volunteers from all walks of life come into a remote school over a 4 week period and hear the children read daily one on one. This is allowing the children to make great strides in their reading abilities and giving the volunteers a firsthand experience of community life.

While in Kintore we camped under the desert stars at an amazing rock formation, ventured into W.A. and visited a body of water formed from the major floods that occurred at the beginning of the year and devastated much of Kintore.

On our return from camping under the stars, I (Robyn) noticed that church was in progress as we drove back into town.  Rob and Gracie dropped me off and I joined the family groups sitting outside on the red sand.  It was some time before the service got underway but well worth the wait as I witnessed 7 babies being baptised!  It was wonderful.

Rob made a slide show of the Kintore school kids and it can be viewed by following this link.

Kintore Kids