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5.12 EducationZSchooling at Strelley
A focal point of the structure is the school, constituted as
a community agency. Education, going on into adult life, controlled
by the people themselves, had always been seen as of paramount
importance.
schooling was given esteem after white
contact. Very soon after the strike, as early as 1947, a school
had been set.up by an Aboriginal man, Tommy Sampi, to teach literacy
and numeracy to adults at the Twelve Mile Camp near Pt. Hedland
(Mikurrunya, 26«10,81:10).
The present Independent School was set up at Strelley by ’the
Mob’ in 1975. The school is run by the School Board, with an
important man ultimately responsible for policy. Authority is
structured hierarchically. The white Principal is secretary to
School Board and meets with it when discussions concern the running
of the school. Those decisions taken which specifically involve white
teachers, are then communicated to the rest of the staff. There is
a formal etiquette governing all communication within the community.
The Principal is asked, at times, also to convey messages ∙
for the Aboriginal community on matters not directly concerned with
the school, for example, when the area was devastated by cyclones.
The white male staff at Strelley in 1980 consisted of the Principal
of the school, two teacher/linguists, teacher∕educators, one teacher
for school-age boys, one person engaged in the editing and production
of the newsletter and literature in English and the vernacular. The
female staff consisted of one teacher for the school-age girls, one
teacher for pre-school children, boys and girls, two part-time teachers
(wives of staff already mentioned) engaged in conducting programmes
for adults in secretarial skills and dressmaking. A health worker
visited the community regularly, but was not resident.
At the Warralong1 annexe, established in 1979, the Principal
taught school-age boys and those in a sheep-breeding programme. His
Warralong Station is about two hours travel by car from Strelley.