Sydney's St Aloysius' College holiday program brought some of their students to Dubbo to partake in NAIDOC Week celebrations and to interact with Dubbo's Apollo House and community members.
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On Thursday the college students attended NAIDOC Week celebrations held at Dubbo's Elston Park where they engaged with Apollo House's Wiradjuri Elders and Dubbo Indigenous children.
St Aloysius' College is an independent Roman Catholic single-sex primary and secondary day school for boys, located in Sydney's lower North.
The St Aloysius College Students took the initiative and applied to participate in the College's emerging holiday program.
The students will travel to an array of Rural NSW areas, over the holiday period, accompanied by teachers, for a more hands-on experience of Indigenous culture, something they may not encounter in Sydney.
Aloysius' College senior teacher Jesse Mckay said they boys are giving up their holidays to come and volunteer and learn more about Indigenous culture in the heart of Australia.
Dubbo Apollo house's Wiradjuri Elder "Riverbank" Frank Doolan said he supported the movement and was happy to welcome the students into the community.
"I fully support what's happening here between the Aloysius boys and our community," Mr Doolan said.
"We love the Aloysius boys."
Aloysius College Student Liam Mcsweeney said he wanted to apply for the program initially for the experience.
"It's one thing to sit in a classroom and hear about ceremonies and the Indigenous culture, and it's another to go a couple of hours into the heart of your country and experience it firsthand and create personal interactions with people you're less likely to see in Sydney," he said.
"It's also been great to see the sense of community here that isn't as present in the city, and just the way, how everyone has gotten out to an event like this."
Student Ben Fletcher said he applied because he wanted to learn more about the culture and increase his understanding. "It's been a good experience to see how the city and country differ, and coming out and learning about the Indigenous culture," he said.