Car cash to go bush

By Tania Martin
SELBY teenager, Salome Bricker is getting ready to trade in her comfortable bed for a night in the bush.
The Mater Christi College student will join 10 other girls on a trip to a remote Aboriginal community next month.
The week-long sojourn is part of a sister-school program with Our Lady of the Sacred Heart School in Wadeye, in the Northern Territory.
A group of girls from the village visited the hills last year and the Mater Christi students are looking forward to seeing how the other half live.
Salome, 16 and fellow student Meg McKernan, 16, of Ferny Creek are both looking forward to experiencing the town’s Aboriginal culture.
Wadeye is a tribal Aboriginal Catholic community located on the western edge of the Daly River Reserve in the Northern Territory.
One of the highlights for the girls will be a day spent in the bush.
“It’s exciting, we are going out bush for two nights with full bush tucker and no access to anything,” Salome said.
The girls may even get to try witchetty grubs.
But Meg says she was not concerned.
“I heard they taste like chicken,” she said.
The rest of the trip will be spent camping out on the floor of the school’s hall.
Salome said it would be great to see the cultural differences between the Aboriginal community and home in the hills.
“When they came to stay last year, we learnt a bit about their culture and we thought it would be great to experience it … to go up there and see what housing and everything is like,” she said.
“They (Wadeye students) found this (Mater Christi) all so amazing, it will be great to see how they live,” Meg said.
Meg said the trip was also a great way to catch up with the girls who had become close friends since their visit to the hills last year.
“They often call us but the language barrier is a problem when talking down a telephone line,” she said.
“Hopefully when we get up there, face to face communication will be easier – they don’t completely understand English so it’s easier to use body language.”
Salome said learning about a remote culture like that experienced in Wadeye was a huge eye-opener.
“I think it will make us a lot more grateful for what we have here, at home,” she said.
The girls are now busy fund-raising for the trip, as it will cost $1500 per person.
Earlier this month, the girls kick-started their funding drive with a car wash. They are also calling for donations from local businesses, churches and anyone willing to make a donation.
Meg said the aim was to raise as much cash as possible to reduce the amount parents would have to pitch in for the trip.
Anyone interested in making a donation should contact Mater Christi College on 9754 6611.