A group of Clonard College Year 10 students is currently participating in a week-long immersion experience in Santa Teresa (Ltyentye Apurte) in the Northern Territory. As part of the immersion, the group attended Mass on Sunday, where a special Message Stick was presented to the Santa Teresa Parish community. Accepting the Message Stick was Mia, respected elder and traditional healer.
The Message Stick was created on Wathaurong Country with the guidance of David Tournier from Malka Cultural Services, who shared his knowledge of the cultural significance of Message Sticks in connection and respect between communities. Students helped create a design on one side that represented Clonard and the greater Wathaurong Country. The group is inviting Santa Teresa to create a design for the reverse side of the message stick.
During the Mass, Year 10 student Grace Tournier spoke to the congregation and proudly presented the Message Stick on behalf of Clonard College. The presentation was a significant moment, symbolising the long-term bond between Clonard College and the Santa Teresa community.
We thank David Tournier for his guidance and generosity in supporting this project. We also thank Grace for her leadership and to the entire Santa Teresa Immersion group for their roles as ambassadors for the College.
*****************************************************************************
Text on the framed certificate (written by Year 10 student Grace T):
“The feathers on our message stick are to represent Waa, the Crow, who is often seen and heard at Clonard College. The 11 footprints represent the journey the 8 students in the and 3 staff from Clonard are taking to participate in the 2026 Santa Teresa Immersion.
The 2 rivers depicted are the Moorabool River and Barwon River that travel through Djilang (Geelong) where Clonard is situated.
The 2 lakes are the Reedy Lake and Lake Connewarre that the Barwon River travels through before it joins the Bass Strait (Southern Ocean) which is depicted at the top of the message stick.
The blue circles signify the rippling effect our actions have, like throwing a stone in water and watching the water ripple away. lt also represents the lasting effect that the Santa Teresa immersion has had on Clonard over the years.
This message stick has been created by Clonard students Aimee Foster, Amber Crook, Caitlin James, Esther Grimmer, Grace Tournier, Lila Wolfe, Marli Levy and Mia-Rose Grixti with the support of David Tournier from Malkar Cultural Services.
The message stick was created on Wadda Wurrung country, from wood sourced at Painkalac Creek Dam, which is on the border of Wadda Wurrung and Gadubanud country.”
