Karalundi Aboriginal Education Community
Encyclopedia
Karalundi Aboriginal Education Community (Inc.) is a K-12 co-educational boarding school for Aboriginal students situated 55 km north of Meekatharra
, Western Australia
, on the Great Northern Highway
.
in Western Australia
. It was begun after its founder Pastor Dudley Vaughan was challenged to begin such a work by Avy Curley OAM. The property was 55 kilometres north of Meekatharra. The school served the Murchison, Upper Gascoyne, Pilbara and Western Desert regions. Classes began in September 1954, with a focus on literacy, numeracy and practical skills.
During its early years of operation, Karalundi was rated by the Western Australia Department of Education as a “most efficient establishment” and commended for the “relatively high standard of attainment” by students. Karalundi was closed in September 1974 in a government move to phase out church involvement in indigenous affairs. The property was sold into private hands and operated as a farm-stay enterprise for 12 years.
In the early 1980s, many past students came to recognise that under the state system, their children’s education was inferior to their own. These parents lobbied the state government for Karalundi to reopen as an independent
parent-controlled Christian
Aboriginal
boarding school
, where children would be educated away from the problems associated with alcohol abuse and gain an education focusing on practical life skills, as well as literacy and numeracy. The advocacy group was supported by the Seventh-day Adventist Church
and, in August 1986, Karalundi was reopened as such.
The school has been the location of published studies of a peer support program and a health promotion program in 1998 .
Karalundi has recently extended its secondary program to include Years 11 and 12 and is recognised as one of the leading schools in Aboriginal education in Western Australia. And despite its academic success, Karalundi has never lost sight of its founding vision, its student continuing to participate in its spiritual aspects.
Due to the boarding nature of Karalundi, all staff are encouraged to participate in the overall program of the school, both within and outside school hours. This entails being involved with the students in the social and spiritual life of Karalundi.
of 15 members (elected at an Annual General Meeting
) is responsible for the governance and long term planning of Karalundi. Day to day management is delegated to the Chief Executive Officer, Principal and Finance Controller who make up the Administrative Committee and are responsible for hiring of staff and faculty and implementing the strategic plan. The parents who operate the school are largely ex-Karalundi students. They are Seventh-day Adventists, and require that Karalundi be operated with the ethos of the Seventh-day Adventist faith. All staff are required to exhibit exemplary Christian
standards before the students, and uphold the Christian ethos.
Meekatharra, Western Australia
Meekatharra is a town in the Mid West region of Western Australia. Meekatharra is an Australian Aboriginal word meaning 'place of little water'. At the 2006 census, Meekatharra had a population of 798, with 44.0% being Aboriginal....
, Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, on the Great Northern Highway
Great Northern Highway
The Great Northern Highway is a generally north-south Western Australian highway which links the state's capital Perth with its most northern port, Wyndham. It is in length, with being National Highway...
.
History
Karalundi was established in 1954 as an Aboriginal boarding school run by the Seventh-day Adventist ChurchSeventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. It was begun after its founder Pastor Dudley Vaughan was challenged to begin such a work by Avy Curley OAM. The property was 55 kilometres north of Meekatharra. The school served the Murchison, Upper Gascoyne, Pilbara and Western Desert regions. Classes began in September 1954, with a focus on literacy, numeracy and practical skills.
During its early years of operation, Karalundi was rated by the Western Australia Department of Education as a “most efficient establishment” and commended for the “relatively high standard of attainment” by students. Karalundi was closed in September 1974 in a government move to phase out church involvement in indigenous affairs. The property was sold into private hands and operated as a farm-stay enterprise for 12 years.
In the early 1980s, many past students came to recognise that under the state system, their children’s education was inferior to their own. These parents lobbied the state government for Karalundi to reopen as an independent
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
parent-controlled Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
Aboriginal
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
, where children would be educated away from the problems associated with alcohol abuse and gain an education focusing on practical life skills, as well as literacy and numeracy. The advocacy group was supported by the Seventh-day Adventist Church
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
and, in August 1986, Karalundi was reopened as such.
The school has been the location of published studies of a peer support program and a health promotion program in 1998 .
Karalundi has recently extended its secondary program to include Years 11 and 12 and is recognised as one of the leading schools in Aboriginal education in Western Australia. And despite its academic success, Karalundi has never lost sight of its founding vision, its student continuing to participate in its spiritual aspects.
Student life
All students at the school are boarders. Students are housed in dormitories. Students are resident only during the school term and return to their communities for holiday periods.Due to the boarding nature of Karalundi, all staff are encouraged to participate in the overall program of the school, both within and outside school hours. This entails being involved with the students in the social and spiritual life of Karalundi.
Management
Karalundi is an independent parent controlled school, incorporated in 1986. An Executive CommitteeExecutive Committee
Executive Committee may refer to:* The Executive Committee of the Privy Council of Northern Ireland, a government body in the United Kingdom 1921–1972* The Northern Ireland Executive, a government body in the United Kingdom...
of 15 members (elected at an Annual General Meeting
Annual general meeting
An annual general meeting is a meeting that official bodies, and associations involving the public , are often required by law to hold...
) is responsible for the governance and long term planning of Karalundi. Day to day management is delegated to the Chief Executive Officer, Principal and Finance Controller who make up the Administrative Committee and are responsible for hiring of staff and faculty and implementing the strategic plan. The parents who operate the school are largely ex-Karalundi students. They are Seventh-day Adventists, and require that Karalundi be operated with the ethos of the Seventh-day Adventist faith. All staff are required to exhibit exemplary Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
standards before the students, and uphold the Christian ethos.
See also
- Seventh-day Adventist educationSeventh-day Adventist educationThe Seventh-day Adventist educational system is the second-largest Christian school system in the world, after the Roman Catholic system ....
- List of Seventh-day Adventist secondary schools
External links
- Karalundi on the South Pacific Division of Seventh-day AdventistsSouth Pacific Division of Seventh-day AdventistsThe Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific, , is formally organised as the South Pacific Division of Seventh-day Adventists , also abbreviated as the South Pacific Division or simply "the Division". It is one of 13 world divisions of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in...
website - School's profile on Aboriginal Independent Community Schools