Xavier Catholic College

Xavier Catholic College Wurrumiyanga

Bathurst Island

Bit of a history lesson first....

Francis Xavier Gsell, OBE (30 June 1872 – 12 July 1960) was an Australian Roman Catholic bishop and missionary, known as the "Bishop with 150 wives".

He began active missionary work in Papua in 1900, then in 1906 re-established the Catholic Church in Palmerston (now Darwin), Northern Territory. He established an Aboriginal mission on Bathurst Island in 1910 and worked there until 1938.

Though unsuccessful in converting adults, he persisted with children's education and "bought" many girls promised in marriage to older men according to tribal custom. He became known as the "Bishop with 150 wives" (also the title of his autobiography) for his activities in freeing girls from such arranged marriages, thus making it possible for them to marry men of their own age

. He studied the intricate laws and customs of the local Aboriginals and carefully chose for his central site an area which none of them claimed. In 1912 the island was proclaimed an Aboriginal reserve, and Gsell lived and worked here until 1938. He understood Aboriginal life, spiritual values and rituals.

Xavier Catholic College (XCCW)

located in the growth town of Wurrumiyanga on Bathurst Island, 80 kilometres north of Darwin. Murrupurtiyanuwu Catholic Primary School (MCPS) and XCCW together form the Catholic Education Precinct and provide a Quality Catholic Tiwi Education for students from Pre-School to Year Thirteen.

Wurrumiyanga (formerly Nguiu) means ‘land of the giant cycads’ and is traditionally owned by the Tiwi people. In 1911 Bishop Gsell started a Catholic Mission and in 1912 MCPS (formerly St Therese’s Catholic School) was established. XCCW followed in 1932.

Originally established as a boys’ school, XCCW now offers a coeducational education for students from Year Seven to Year Thirteen. The current enrollment of XCCW is around 120

My Classes:

I will be teaching several classes this year with mixed abilities and backgrounds. I will be teaching Wood work, Textiles, Food and plastics as main units. I have also picked up a PE class so that will get the old body moving a little bit more. The College has a well equipped Gym which is also a part of the curriculum here with PE classes but is easy to access for Teachers during the school terms.

So far I have met the rest of the staff and also out AT's (Assistant Teachers) and GOO students (Growing Our Own - Tiwi based teachers doing a teaching degree through Charles Darwin Uni) Everyone is awesome and all here to do one thing. Provide a Quality Catholic Tiwi Education.

I have been privileged enough to be assigned in a mentor role to one of the GOO students. His name is Bertram and I will be putting up a post about our teaching journey at a later date. The AT's and GOO students are our most valuable resource in the school community. Tiwi culture can be very confusing to outsiders and people who haven't been here long. These people know issues and the students in the community very well and can give us as teachers a heads up with anything going on in the outside community as well as within the classroom.

They are all very talented and will make great teachers once they finish their degree.

Orientation week has been an eye opening experience and a hard slog, getting all programs, lesson plans and worksheets ready for first day back. Big thanks goes to the staff, AT's, GOO students and executive staff here who have been welcoming and patient with newbies to the Island.

A few pictures of the school: