In late June, 19 students from ACT Radford College’s senior school will be travelling north to assist at Gunawirra supported preschools at Gunnedah, Kootingal, Quirindi and Werris Creek, and another group travelling even further north to Inverell .

The students, comprised of 13 girls and 6 boys, accompanied by two teachers,are very excited about experiencing life at these Gunawirra supported schools, helping unconditionally and energetically wherever they can, and sharing their own life stories with those they will be working closely with. They would like to have a session with everyday parents whose children attend the preschool.

It is hoped that a documentary will be made by the Radford staff and students chronicling their experience. At the close of their school stay, the group will retreat to The Warrumbungle’s to reflect on their journey, what they gained from it, and where their next footsteps will lead them.

A very important visit took place on the 11^th of April to the preschool centres in Northern NSW that receive support from Gunawirra.

Radford Early Learning centre, Gunawirra, Jeff Nelson, a proud and deep thinking Aboriginal professional who works with Gunawirra, Good Beginnings Liverpool, Kootingal, Werris creek, Quirindi and Kempsey, (missed Gunnedah – car broke down) all attended to begin the actual process of building our new Activities website.

Ably led by Sarah Boardman of Radford, we spent the days really working very hard on our basic values and our actual practical work to get the site up and running. Every centre will look after a modem. Gunawirra will add to it the work of famous cartoonist Carl Sherrif who with Carolyn Leys from Gunnedah will plan the little movie for the children on the “Gunawirra ‘Good-hearts’ ” to do with Nutrition, Personal Hygiene and Health.

Norma and Shiri from Gunawirra with the help of Patricia and Chryne (our ‘mother infant’ Aboriginal specialist) will work on a movie with the avatars which Chris Bourke will help us create from the Gunawirra Kids. These are her Yarramundi Kids while we wait for our own Gunawirra Kids.

Chris is a proud and skilful Aboriginal women who specialises in working with children who are sexually abused and victims of alcohol, drugs and domestic violence. Gunawirra is honoured to have her now as a member and an integral part of our work. She will work for Gunawirra for a day each week.

On the 13^th, 14^th, 15^th of this month a new initiative is taking place for Gunawirra Limited and some Preschool Directors from country regional areas. Radford Early Learning Centre and later Canberra Grammar early learning Centre are acting as our hosts for the visitation. Here is the summary of the planned visit and its purpose:

Developing an activities book for NSW Aboriginal preschools

The health and creativity of a community is renewed each generation through its children.

Who is involved?

Gunawirra and two early childhood staff, directors of Radford Early Learning Centre, six outback Aboriginal preschools, a representative of DET, Aboriginal community representatives from the new Government multi initiative in Gunnedah, and other book designing professionals have formed a committee with Gunawirra professionals to design and develop an activities project (like a giant book with pockets for the teachers and children in Aboriginal preschools from DET (24 centre’s) and community (100 centre’s) to use and follow with one project for each month over a 10 month or full year period. >> click here to read more >>

Peak Hill is to have a new initiative from Gunawirra. Gunawirra will pay and supervise a local Professional who is doing her Masters in Infant Mental Health as she home visits some of the Aboriginal families who have their children in preschool there. Shiri and Kristina will visit in late August and speak with the Community to get input on their needs and requests. Gunawirra will totally finance and supervise this Project. See the Peak Hill Project page for more information.

Gunawirra is producing an activities booklet which will have 10 projects for preschools throughout NSW that have Aboriginal children. It is an initiative we are carrying out with Radford College Early Learning Centre in ACT over the next two years. We will go to Radford College for two or three days in late September to begin the process – the cartoonist, the book designer, the photographer, the writer and the publisher are all ready to get it under way. Shiri Hergass and Kristina Karasulas will play a significant role in this initiative. See the Radford Early Learning Project page for more information.

Two of Gunawirra’s dedicated workers – Patricia Glossop and Charlie Griffiths – are now trained to the level required to teach other practitioners in Marte Meo. They are meeting with Shiri Hergass to work out how they might reach into country areas, especially our nominated centres in the North Western area. We will include Bowraville in this and Peak Hill as a special centre for Gunawirra. See the Marte Meo Method page for more information on this highly successful approach.

A group of four Gunawirra staff visited Tamworth over the weekend and ran an amazing Marte Meo training sessions there with Maria Aarts from Holland. The training was attended by 36 preschool teachers who look after six Aboriginal preschools in NSW, plus a number of local community workers.

One group of five workers had joined us for the first time. Their preschool for 32 children is a corrugated iron lean-to on the back of an ancient Masonic Hall in the town of Kootingal. The good news is that the Government has agreed to provide $500,000 towards a new preschool. They want Gunawirra to help train their teachers in the best way to be as useful as possible to these needy children.

Maria Aarts immediately agreed to halve the Marte Meo fees for the workshop and that of any other country preschool centre. The six directors met with Norma and Shiri and later Patricia to discuss three new Gunawirra initiates for preschools.

To enquire about Marte Meo training please use use the form on our Contact Us page.

On August 30th to September 1st the United Nations is running its annual DPI/NGO Conference in Melbourne with the theme “Advance Global Health”.

Gunawirra has been awarded space in the exhibition area and we will be presenting our story, programs and publications to the attendees. Our video “I go to Preschool now” will also be featured in the conference audio visual presentations.

This is only the second time in 63 years that the UN has held this important global conference out of New York and Gunawirra is excited and honoured to be included.

The Board and supporters of Gunawirra would like to thank everyone who attended the “Let’s Go To Pre-School” function on 6th May at the Gilbert + Tobin office.

The new book called ‘Let’s Go To Pre-School’, for Australian Indigenous pre-schoolers and their parents, was released and is being distributed to indigenous children and their families.

For more information go to our website Events page or call Kristina Karasulas on 0414 923255.

All are welcome to attend a function hosted by Gilbert and Tobin, Solicitors for Gunawirra, from 5.30-7.30pm on Thursday 6th May 2010 at 2 Park Street Sydney.

A new book called ‘Let’s Go To Pre-School’, for Australian Indigenous pre-schoolers and their parents, is to be released at a cocktail party on 6th May at the Gilbert and Tobin office in the Sydney CBD.

Your entry fee donation of $50 will support distribution of the book to an indigenous child and family.

Norma Tracey, Program Director of the not-for-profit organisation Gunawirra, says the new book will help more Aboriginal children enter pre-school. “It is widely reported and acknowledged that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are significantly educationally disadvantaged. This book, and the other work of Gunawirra, is part of a powerful community initiative to change that”.

Using beautiful photographs, ‘Let’s Go To Pre-School’ follows three Aboriginal children, Kiara, Noah and Sharon as they play and learn through a typical pre-school day.

The author of the book is Rebecca Gorman who will speak about its background at the function on 6th May.

For more information go to our website Events page or call Kristina Karasulas on 0414 923255.

Gunawirra has formed a partnership with St. Vincent’s & Mater Health Sydney to provide toys at Christmas time to twelve needy Aboriginal preschools.

Five hundred toys are being collected, and toys for each child will be delivered to these centres. Gunawirra is also arranging transport.

St Vincent’s are collecting presents from Monday 2 November until Friday 11 December 2009.

Following from this initiative, Gunawirra is approaching toy manufacturers about providing equipment for Aboriginal preschools that lack resources.

To enquire about contributing please use use the form on our Contact Us page.

The Directors and Members of Gunawirra Limited wish to thank all those who assisted with or attended the annual fundraising lunch held on October 30 2009.

The lunch contributed greatly to Gunawirra’s ability to support specialised services for our very young Aboriginal children in NSW. >> click here to read more >>

Jean Illingworth

The Gunawirra annual fundraising lunch is just a month away. More than half the places are taken but there are still seats left and Gunawirra warmly invites you to attend and support our specialised services for very young Aboriginal children in NSW.

The lunch is to be held on October 30 2009 at the Masonic Centre, 66 Goulburn St. Sydney, and additional information is available on our Events Page.

Guest Speaker at the lunch will be Jean Illingworth, Principal of Djurragun College and Queensland Senior Australian of the Year 2009. >> click here to read more >>

Hello there, I am writing to congratulate Gunawirra on the amazing range and depth of programs you have underway and to wish you very well going forward! >> click here to read more >>

Today Gunawirra signed an important Letter of Agreement with Centipede - the after school and vacation program for between 25 to 40 children who reside in the Glebe area and attend schools there. >> click here to read more >>

Today Norma used Conference Video for the first time with nine Aboriginal designated preschools. These are in areas of highest suicide risk in very outlying areas of NSW. Everyone welcomed the ideas at the centres. They are delighted to do the garden project. They are taking all the ideas that Muriel Kelly will send to them to the community elders and have approval within the next two weeks. >> click here to read more >>

Tuesday 4th August at 10.00.a.m. Norma will be presenting slides and briefing via teleconferencing to 11 Aboriginal Department of Education Preschools in every region of NSW. >> click here to read more >>

On Friday Janet Jensen Director of Aboriginal Preschool in Kempsey was interviewed and heard on Bush Telegraph on Radio National as she spoke of the Gunawirra Community garden project in her preschool centre (Eingana). >> click here to read more >>

This morning Gunawirra was accepted to present at the Conference for AAIMHI and Marce in Melbourne on the October long weekend. We have 90 minutes for a symposium on our thinking and our work. This is exciting and a genuine way of showing we are now on the Map. >> click here to read more >>

Next week 21st and 22nd of July five Gunawirra workers from the country will come to Sydney for a workshop with Joshe Aarts for the Marte Meo Training. The Grail at North Sydney are the generous hosts for them while they are in Sydney. >> click here to read more >>