18 June, 2024
“I love this job. It is so rewarding, and it is so good seeing these kids succeed”.
Angie Newman is the Aboriginal Community Connector, based at the Lightning Ridge Aboriginal Land Council and it is her role to support Aboriginal youth in the community on the path to adulthood. She is pivotal in bridging the gap between community and the students having all the resources they require to achieve great success.
Angie was born in Walgett and has lived in Lightning Ridge for most of her life. She proudly identifies as a Worimi woman, with her family roots tracing back to Karuah in the Port Stephens area. Her experience of living and working in Lightning Ridge has given her valuable insights into the challenges and obstacles faced by young people in remote communities.
Angie has been the Community Connector for Lightning Ridge since 2023. In that short time, she has implemented activities and programs for a number of local high school students. Lightning Ridge is far from the services that many in cities and larger towns have access to, making her involvement critical and a part of the student’s success.
Angie says, “Not only am I helping students, but I am also helping families.” She adds, “Working parents are hard-pressed to get their children to appointments and events as they are working hard to support their family.”
Angie has become a mentor and a trusted figure for her students. She checks in on them during school hours to see if they are doing well, but a lot of her core work is after hours and outside the school gate. Due to the lack of services in Lightning Ridge, Angie regularly travels to Tamworth and Dubbo with students so they can access services and support.
Angie worked at the local Lightning Ridge Central School, which is the only school in the town. Her role at the school was as a School Administrative Officer (SAO) and also as a School Learning Support Officer (SLSO), which means she has plenty of experience with her students and knows them well.
The students are referred to Angie from the school, parents, and sometimes the students themselves. To be able to participate in the program, the students have to be enrolled in Year 10, 11 or 12 at Lightning Ridge Central School.
Angie explains, “I left the school after three years so I could connect with the students better and try to make a positive influence on their lives by really getting to know them, and supporting them to achieve their goals.”
Hitting these goals, results in students being ready, once they successfully finish school, to take on further studies, feel confident to apply for an apprenticeship/traineeship or to enter the workforce.
“Our aim is to make their senior years at high school a positive experience, with a large focus on keeping them connected to their culture.”
One of Angie’s initiatives includes a homework centre, where she provides a space for students to do their assessments and where she can support, supervise, and keep them on track, with the support of some secondary teaching staff. Angie visits her students at school to make sure they are up to date with their assignments and to assess what else they may need as their schooling progresses.
Angie shared a story about one of her students in her mentorship program, who found the idea of going to university daunting, particularly finding accommodation and transport to and from university. Thanks to Angie’s mentoring and guidance, the student was able to apply for university and achieve her dream of furthering her education and creating a career pathway. Angie has kept in touch with the student, and she is thriving in her university studies.
One of Angie’s memorable adventures with her students has been taking them on an overnight “Cultural Experience” trip to Angledool on Yuwaalaraay Country. A “Boys Business” and “Girls Business” excursion was to connect the students to their culture as they were taken to significant sites to hear and experience the stories of the past. The Lightning Ridge Local Aboriginal Land Council provided food and travel and gifted each of the students with their very own swag to sleep in for the experience. Angie explains, “On arrival, it took a while for the students to disconnect from their technology and connect with each other, especially the older students with the younger girls. However, within hours, we saw a change in their attitudes. They were no longer excluding the younger girls; instead, they were helping them do tasks, such as setting up their swags and making a water slide at the river.”
Since this trip, Angie has had many of the students ask when the next cultural experience will be. “I found it to be such a rewarding and enjoyable experience.”
The 12 boys travelled with Samuel Jackson-Bolton, the School Learning Support Officer from Lightning Ridge Central School, and Uncle Tom Barker, Aboriginal community member, knowledge holder and Coordinator of the Gamilaraay/Yuwaalaraay/Yuawaalayaay Language and Culture Nest.
The 22 girls travelled with Elders Aunty Brenda McBride and Aunty Trina Brown, Aunty Rhonda Ashby, Aboriginal community member, knowledge holder and Gamilaraay/Yuwaalaraay/Yuawaalayaay Language and Culture Nest Consultant, Angie and other Lightning Ridge LALC staff/directors.
The students took part in a smoking ceremony, storytelling and visited the Scarred Trees at Narran River and the grinding stones near Angledool, NSW.
Angie Newman is proud of the mentorship programs and cultural camps in Lightning Ridge. She strongly believes her programs have had a significant impact on students’ lives. By utilising cultural knowledge, she has helped these young people grow personally and academically. Angie’s guidance has led many students towards education and employment pathways, including school-based apprenticeships, TAFE studies and university placements.
If you want to reach out to Angie Newman, you can contact her at the Lightning Ridge Local Aboriginal Land Council Angie@lrlalc.org.au.
For more information visit Aboriginal Community Connectors – NSW Aboriginal Land Council.
