Published on: 2 May 2024








A group of four Year 11 students and their counterparts from Methodist Ladies’ College have returned from an impactful Service in Action Tour to Nullagine. The students were welcomed by Nullagine Primary, where they acted as teacher aides in the classroom. Assisting with writing, reading, maths, activities and more, the group soon made close bonds with the Nullagine Primary students. Breaks consisted of basketball, football, cricket and games that the kids enjoyed making up and playing with their visitors.

Other highlights included digging and eating for Witchetty Grubs or ‘Lungi’ with the Nullagine students (a consensus that they tasted like peanut butter) and trying some kangaroo tail. The weather was fantastic, and with the tour coinciding with ANZAC Day, the group was fortunate enough to attend a local dawn service and community breakfast barbeque at Lynas Lookout, where they laid wreaths at the monument to pay their respects.

Acting Co-ordinator of Service in Action Conrad Scott, who facilitated the tour, commented on its success. “The feedback I’ve received from both the Christ Church and MLC students is that they had so much fun doing all the different activities – cultural exchange activities, going to the local swimming hole, cooking together each night as part of a fun Masterchef competition, painting at the Art Centre, and most of all, forming a connection with the kids that live in Nullagine. This was by far the strongest aspect felt by students on the tour, as they fully integrated themselves into the school and with the kids, and were warmly embraced by the remote community.”

“In the debrief sessions we did with the group, the main takeaway for the group was learning that you don’t actually need much to have fun. Our group and the young Nullagine students would spend hours after the school day finished at 2.00pm playing games and chatting until we would have to part ways for dinner at 6.00pm.”

Service in Action is a popular program which reflects our students’ eagerness to embrace service learning opportunities, make a meaningful contribution to a community, and gain a deeper understanding of other cultures and ways of life.