We are delighted to introduce our 2024 Residential Advisors for St Catherine’s College.
Each wing of St Catherine’s has a dedicated RA, and this team of amazing individuals are here to provide support to any residents staying at St Catherine’s College. They also collaborate with residents to start clubs and join special interest groups while also assisting staff to organise fun activities and events for the College.
A big congratulations to our 2024 Co-Presidents, Crawley Valedicts and Valedictory Award Winners for 2023. We are incredibly proud of you!
Every semester signals the beginning of a fresh start, and with that comes the arrival of first-years, also known as “freshers”. To ease the transition to College for our first-year students, St Catherine’s College proudly hosts a traditional Orientation Week or “O’Week” as residents come to know it.
Organised the week before the commencement of classes, O’Week serves as a vibrant introduction to our unique culture and community. It provides an exciting opportunity for our new residents to explore our campus, experience college life, and make lifelong friendships.
The timetable includes numerous workshops, tours, information sessions and activities – allowing all residents to get involved and giving our freshers the best opportunity to learn about our community.
Some of the O’Week highlights for Semester 1, 2023 include:
Commencement Lunch for residents and their families
Night on the Green Cocktail Party
Fresher Dance
Dandjoo Darbalung Cultural Evening
Apply now to join our welcoming community and make the most of your university experience.
Later this year, all eligible voters will be required to vote in The Voice referendum to decide whether Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders will have an independent advisory body that will make representations to the Australian Parliament and Executive Government on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
To understand what this means, we hosted a dinner and interactive discussion with keynote speaker, Former Minister for Indigenous Australians, Hon Ken Wyatt AM, and a panel of experts for the Yes and No vote. These included Professor Pat Dudgeon, Megan Krakouer and Jeremy Yarran-Smith.
If you would like to find out more information about The Voice referendum, please visit www.voice.gov.au.
We are delighted to introduce our 2023 Resident Advisors for St Catherine’s College.
Each wing of St Catherine’s has a dedicated RA, and this team of amazing individuals are here to provide support to any residents staying at St Catherine’s College. They also collaborate with residents to start clubs and join special interest groups while also assisting staff to organise fun activities and events for the College.
The College invited Tracee Blythe, an experienced naturopath and leader in the complementary medicine industry, to have lunch with our residents.
Tracee first took the residents through the Dining Hall buffet and discussed the importance of filling their plates with various food groups and creating balanced diets. Over lunch, they talked about removing the labels ‘good’ and ‘bad’ food, the interconnectivity of what is put into someone’s body and overall health, and the importance of routine and variety for great digestion. Residents also had the opportunity to ask Tracee any questions they had about nutrition, from questions about improving gut health after taking antibiotics to tips about how to incorporate good food into busy university schedules.
To end the workshop, Tracee challenged the residents to eat forty plant foods over the week and provided a tool to track how foods may influence their sleep, mood, and energy levels.
Our Indigenous access program Dandjoo Darbalung has spent several years putting together a series of large canvas artworks that represent the six Noongar seasons. These pieces are the work of our Indigenous residents, with contributions from the wider St Catherine’s community and schools that have participated in the Dandjoo Darbalung outreach program.
If you would like further information on our cultural immersion programs, please get in touch with our Indigenous Program Coordinator Maxine Brahim
From the outside, our UWA campus looks quite different now. With the additions of our new buildings in 2014 and 2019, our College has grown significantly. However, some things at St Catherine’s are timeless, like catching up with friends in your room, getting dressed up for a special event, or having fun. These photos were taken in 1972 and were kindly provided to us by Ann Osborne, who resided at the College in the early 1970s.
“The more things change, the more they stay the same.” – Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr
See more articles on our blog site here.
Being away from family and Country to study at university has its challenges for university students Jasmine John and Jai Spencer, but our Dandjoo Darbalung Indigenous Access Program is making sure they feel supported.
Dandjoo Darbalung provides culturally relevant support services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students who are studying at TAFE or university in Perth. The program’s name means ‘mixing together’ in Noongar and relates to the way fresh water and saltwater mix in the Swan River.
Jasmine John is a Nyikina woman from Broome studying occupational therapy at Curtin University. Dandjoo Darbalung was a key reason she chose to reside at St Catherine’s College. She said the program has been instrumental in helping her settle into Perth and find her confidence.
“Dandjoo Darbalung has provided many opportunities. I’ve participated in creating canvas artworks, as well as weaving and cultural practices, which have helped to shape my identity as an Indigenous woman away from home.
“I’ve also met other young Indigenous women and we’ve been able to sit and yarn about our ambitions and futures.
“Dandjoo Darbalung provides me with a sense of home and I have made life-long connections with people who I now consider my family.”
Ms John is a keen artist and through Dandjoo Darbalung, was selected to paint a design on a ceremonial glass shield that was gifted to the Western Bulldogs in this year’s AFL Indigenous round.
“This opportunity has been very special and brought recognition to my artwork,” she said.
Like Ms John, Jai Spencer understands what it means to miss home. A young Barkindji man from the Murray-Darling area in NSW, Spencer headed to Perth to study a Bachelor of Science at Curtin University.
“St Catherine’s provides me with a sense of home and I have made life-long connections with people who I now consider my family.”
“Being away from family is challenging but also being away from my Country takes a toll,” he said.
“But learning about and being accepted into Nyungar culture since moving to WA has really helped with the transition.”
For Mr Spencer, highlights of Dandjoo Darbalung included tutoring Indigenous high school students and participating in cultural dance events.
“The people are friendly. We’re always there for one another if we need to talk because we see each other as family,” he said.
Mr Spencer would like to transition into one of Curtin’s engineering courses but is keeping his graduate options open.
“I would like to find stable work somewhere and save until I’m ready to settle down. But you never know where life will take you, so we’ll have to see!”
Ms John would like to return home to the Kimberley and give back to her community as a qualified occupational therapist.
“I would love to provide that opportunity for Indigenous people to receive services from a fellow Indigenous person, so they feel safe and comfortable,” she said.
Click here to find out more about Dandjoo Darbalung.
This article appeared in The West Australian on Friday 1 July 2022.
The 26 May is National Sorry Day, a day to remember and reflect on the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were part of The Stolen Generations. Sorry Day reminds us that historical injustice is still an ongoing source of intergenerational trauma for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, communities and peoples. On this day we acknowledge the strength of Stolen Generation Survivors and their families and their families and reflect on how we can all play a part in the healing process for our people and nation.
The Dandjoo Darbalung program at St Catherine’s College does extensive work in this space by supporting Indigenous students, providing mentorship for school-aged children and facilitating cultural learning experiences for companies, universities and the wider community.
“For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, healing is a holistic process, which addresses mental, physical, emotional and spiritual needs and involves connections to culture, family and land.
Healing works best when solutions are culturally strong, developed and driven at the local level, and led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.”- The Healing Foundation To learn more about the award-winning work our Dandjoo Darbalung program does, check out our website. To learn more about National Sorry Day, head to healingfoundation.org.
