The name is absent

317

к

к

F
і
к

_l                                                                                                               Л

The support given to the Aboriginal community by the school
was also illustrated by the positive theorizing of school staff
and their willingness to be involved in Aboriginal gatherings.

І

White staff attended gatherings of Aboriginal people at the

. Davenport reserve; they joined in processions marking National Aboriginal

Day, thus giving visible support to the structuring of an Aboriginal

identity.                                    ,          -

-                               ⅞

• * ∙ *                             ∙

The ’world' of the school was seen by parents and staff as

supportive of Aboriginal students; it was thus at odds with the
wider racist ’world’ of the town itself.

In general, it could be expected that the school world would
reflect, or ought to reflect, the ’real life’ of the wider society.

*

It is argued here, however, that policies have been stimulated
in the schools aimed, in the case of Aborigines, at constructing
a ’world’ within the school situation that differs from that of
*
the wider society.

It is further argued that the impetus for this has come from
School Commission policy which, as has been shown, goes beyond
government policy in supporting multi-structures for Aboriginal
people. Above all, it provides incentives to implement policy
by making grants available for this purpose.

19.2 Augusta Park High School

Aboriginal students at Augusta Park High School share some
of the same elements of the ’world’ of Port Augusta High, but with
a different emphasis. Augusta Park is a relatively newly established
suburb of Port Augusta. At the time of the study, school areas
were zoned to keep the numbers at each school approximately the same.

There was Aboriginal housing in the area providing a choice
for those Aboriginal people who wished .to opt out of central Port
Augusta housing areas and out of established kinship groupings.

<<   364   365   366   367   368   369   370   >>

More intriguing information