Yadha Muru – “a good path to learning.”
Yadha Muru’s vision is for Aboriginal children to have the same opportunities and choices as other Australians, while retaining their distinct cultures, languages and identities. At its heart is the belief that through education, young people can develop the skills, capabilities and confidence to “walk in both worlds” – keeping culture strong while operating with confidence in mainstream Australia.
This vision sits at the heart of Chisholm Catholic College’s City–Country Partnership Programme and was brought to life during the 2026 Kimberley Experience.
Twenty-one Year 9 STEAM students travelled to Broome for five days of learning, connection, service, adventure and relationship-building with our partner school, St Mary’s College. While the Kimberley Experience offered students opportunities that could never be replicated in a classroom in Perth, its greatest value was in encouraging students to learn with Country, from culture and alongside their peers.
Learning with Country
The experience began on Yawuru Country, where students participated in Binba Mayi – an on-Country experience of traditional hunting and foraging. Guided by Yawuru hosts, students explored mudflats, mangroves and coastal environments, learning about marine life, bush foods, sustainable practices and traditional knowledge.
Students caught crabs, fished using hand casters and throw nets, identified bush foods and discovered traditional uses of native plants. They were challenged to step outside their comfort zones and, importantly, to listen to the knowledge shared by those who know Country intimately.
For student, Elijah Rodricks, this meant stepping well outside his usual experience.
“Bush medicine and foraging have been wonderful opportunities for me to experience on this trip… It opened up opportunities for me to try new foods I thought I would never try such as snails and clams.”
These experiences asked our students to do more than simply observe. They had to listen, question, participate, problem-solve and remain open to new ways of understanding the world around them.
Learning alongside one another
At St Mary’s College, the focus shifted to learning alongside one another. Chisholm and St Mary’s students shared STEAM activities, presented workshops, learned from industry experts, went fishing together and spent time developing friendships and understanding each other’s school communities.
Across two days, during the inaugural Kimberley Innovation Festival students from Kindergarten to Year 12 explored, experimented, designed, questioned and created. Local businesses, organisations, agencies and cultural experts shared their knowledge through hands-on workshops, while students and staff from Chisholm and Sacred Heart Primary School contributed workshops of their own.
Our students were not simply visitors moving from one activity to the next. They became facilitators, teachers, problem-solvers and leaders. They shared their own knowledge with other students, worked alongside their St Mary’s peers and experienced what it feels like to have others come to them to learn. It was a powerful reminder that partnership is not about knowledge or opportunity travelling in one direction.
We arrived in Broome ready to learn from St Mary’s, from Country and from the Kimberley community. But our students also had knowledge, skills and experiences to share. In those moments, the City-Country Partnership became genuinely reciprocal.
As Yadha Muru Assistant Director Aunty Bev reflected during the Festival, it was powerful to see our students given the opportunity to be the teachers, the leaders and the people others came to learn from. For our students, this was a significant shift in perspective. They were not simply learning about the Kimberley. They were becoming part of a learning community in which their own knowledge and contribution mattered.
Learning beyond the familiar
For Kahlan Jovanovic, one of the most memorable moments came when the students found themselves literally stuck in the mud.
“When we were all stuck in the mud and were unsure what challenges the path would bring, we found a way out together.”
What began as an adventure became a lesson in teamwork, resilience and encouragement – qualities that extended well beyond the day’s activity and helped students grow in confidence and independence.
Victoria McGrath reflected on the unexpected connections that grew throughout the week:
“Exploring the school was a fun and different opportunity, seeing all the kind and welcoming students and making new friends there… and most of all becoming closer with the group that came [to Chisholm].”
From the beauty of Cable Beach to getting stuck in the mud, catching crabs, fishing, exploring Broome and sharing new experiences with St Mary’s students, the group quickly became a team. And somewhere amongst the red dirt, salt water, laughter and adventure, Broome stopped being simply a destination. It became a place of story, culture, knowledge and connection.
Kahlan reflected that there was “so much more out there than what we can see hidden behind city buildings” and that the experience helped her understand more deeply the connection First Nations People have to Country.
Learning to give back
The Kimberley Experience also provided opportunities for students to put their faith into action through service at Our Lady Queen of Peace Cathedral. Gardening and caring for the Cathedral grounds offered a simple but meaningful reminder that education is not only about what we know, but about what we choose to do for others. In giving back to a community that had already given our students so much, they experienced another important part of what it means to be in relationship with place and community.
The power of partnership
The most powerful aspect of the Kimberley Experience was not any single activity.
It was the relationships. The City-Country Partnership is built on the understanding that genuine connection cannot be created through a one-off visit. It grows through time, trust, shared experiences and a willingness to learn from one another.
Our students travelled north to learn from St Mary’s College and the Kimberley community. They returned having also shared their own knowledge, skills and perspectives. The Kimberley Innovation Festival captured this beautifully. Students became teachers. Teachers became learners. Younger students learned from older students. Visiting students learned from students who call the Kimberley home. The boundaries between “city” and “country” became less important than the relationships being built between young people.
This is the kind of authentic learning the City-Country Partnership seeks to create. Learning that connects students to their place in the world. Learning that asks them to listen, collaborate, create, question and think critically. Learning that honours culture, identity and First Nations ways of knowing. And learning that empowers young people to participate, lead and contribute.
Walking in both worlds
Our students returned to Perth with new STEAM skills, new friendships and memories of red dirt, salt water, fishing, bush medicine and Kimberley sunsets. More importantly, they returned with a deeper appreciation of the knowledge held in Country, the strength of culture and the importance of relationships.
For a group of Year 9 students, five days in Broome became an opportunity to challenge themselves, serve others, share their knowledge, build friendships and learn from those around them. Through the City-Country Partnership and the vision of Yadha Muru, our students are being given the opportunity to broaden their understanding of Australia – not simply by learning about Aboriginal culture, but by building genuine relationships, sharing experiences and learning alongside others.
Kahlan captured the experience perhaps best when she reflected:
“This trip changed me for the better, and I will be forever grateful for everything that I learnt along the way, the people I got to share this special experience with and memories that made this trip so meaningful.”
The Kimberley Experience was more than a trip to Broome. It was a good path to learning. It was an opportunity to see the world differently, to recognise that we all have something to learn and something to contribute, and to take another step towards what it means to walk confidently in both worlds.
Mrs Belinda Pietropaolo
Deputy Principal – Administration
