Thursday - Day Five

On Thursday morning we were fortunate enough to visit the sheep shearing shed of Haley O’Connor, who very generously invited us onto her property. On the farm they had 9,000 sheep (something us city girls couldn’t comprehend!) and a total of five shearers in the shed. As an all-girls school,  we were even more amazed to discover that one of the shearers (Emma) was female, which was great to see as it is evidence of more women entering a previously male dominated workforce. Emma can certainly hold her own against the boys, with several shearing awards under her belt. At the farm it takes a total of nine days to shear the 9,000 sheep – that’s an astonishing 200 sheep per person per day. After a quick tour of the shearing shed where we got to see the shearers and wool sorters at work, we were able to talk to Emma, who gave us the insider info. Haley (the owner of the farm) also donated some of her time to us, answering all our questions about life on the farm. We covered everything from buying and selling sheep (look for a ram that stands on its toes!), to the shearing process, growing and harvesting all sorts of crops. She also gave us an insight into government policies, such as the new incoming carbon tax, and how they affect her, as someone who makes their living working on the land. It was really interesting to hear her perspective on these issues, as she was qualified enough to have an informed opinion that we could take in. She also gave us some great information about farming, inspiring some of us (Gabi!!) to consider the farming lifestyle.

We then jumped on the bus and headed straight to the Culgoa River, to meet up again with the whole student body of Goodooga Central School, where they were continuing their NAIDOC Week celebrations at the local river. As true Loreto girls, we headed straight for the food and were not disappointed – we enjoyed Mindy’s amazing Johnny Cakes (damper cooked on the fire), and a delicious sausage stew. With that out of the way we were able to mingle with all the kids and make some new friends. We enjoyed a range of activities as we roamed around the riverbank. Emily and Mil C got to help some of the boys finish a cubbyhouse they had made out of leaves and sticks, a typical Goodooga leisure activity. Mia and Liv were on the hunt for some witchedy grubs, having made a bet with two girls that should they catch some we would eat some. They did catch one, but luckily for us Ms O’Keeffe talked some sense into us, and we didn’t end up eating the grubs. A few more of us headed down to the river to have a fish, with Andie enjoying some success as she caught a European carp. After an afternoon of fun we headed back for some much needed downtime in our library home, where we were interrupted by the news that Gabi’s sister, Emily, had gone into labour, eliciting many squeals from all the girls!

Olivia Adamo and Mil Carrozi

To end the day we were given a once in a lifetime opportunity – blowing emu eggs. This was an incredible experience and, knowing us, became very competitive. After blowing the eggs we enjoyed delicious Bolognese cooked in the fire. To conclude the night we had a talent quest and played games. We experienced a range of skilful performances; of particular note was the “Leader of Pack” performance by our beloved teachers!  We also got to witness the rapping crew LEO: Laura, Eliza and Olivia. After all this fun we finished the night with Ooga Booga in which Ms O’Keeffe initiated some lucky members into the Gibbs clan and frightened the living daylights out of them in the form of a wet sponge.

Before bedtime we had a relaxing astronomy lesson as part of our evening reflection. It was a truly fantastic opportunity to saviour the beauty of the stars without the lights in the city. We then did some reflective drawings of our week and concluded with a prayer;

Heavenly Father,

You guided the three kings all the way to Jesus
and you guided many Aboriginal tribes to food,
both through the stars.
Guide us all to the end of the journey of this enlightening experience we have been gifted with.
Allow the good spirits, Mikey brought to us, to stay with us and allow the dancing to create a natural rhythm in our lives.
Put Goodooga in a star that shines so brightly in Sydney so that when we look up in the night sky, we see the place that has very much, impacted our lives.
The cemetery, the school kids and Aunty Patsy all grew our cultural knowledge. Allow the spirits of these people, past and present, to guide our actions back in Sydney to share this knowledge with those who did not enter this experience.
At Brewarrina, we were touched and educated through Brad’s knowledge and past experience. Keep him in our minds and spirits as we journey through the rest of the week and in Sydney.
And today, doing the activities with the children, we all achieved their youthfulness and eagerness to tell their story and join in. The sheep shearing gave us a more rural experience on this immersion that we will never forget.
As we look to tomorrow, let us think of each other.
We have bonded like never before through the course of this week, so-much-so, that we have created a constellation.
A constellation that is versatile and filled with many gifts that everyone can see as it shines so brightly.
A constellation never separates so let us hold these bonds with one another on our return.

Amen

Mia and Ali