When Evangeline left high school she had a

DEM. REP.
CONGO
RWANDA
BURUNDI
SEYCHELLES
INDONESIA
COMOROS
ANGOLA
TIMOR-LESTE
INDIAN OCEAN TER.
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MALAW
ZAMBIA
PAPUA NEW GUINEA
BR. INDIAN OCEAN TER.
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SAINT HELENA
MOZAMBIQUE
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CORAL SEA IS.
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AUSTRALIA
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SOUTH
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NORFOLK ISLA
INDIAN OCEAN
LESOTHO
PACIFIC OCEAN
1000KM
FEATURED COUNTRY
WHERE WE WORK
FR. S. ANTARCTIC LANDS
HEARD I. AND MCDONALD IS.
When Evangeline left high school she had a limited vision for
her future. The training she has received while working at the
Djilpin Arts Ghunmarn Culture Centre, supported by Caritas
Australia, has helped her develop new skills and ignited her
passion for the maintenance and preservation of her Aboriginal
culture.
Evangeline, 25, is a proud young
Ramingining woman living in the small
community of Beswick (Wugularr),
100 kilometres east of Katherine in the
Northern Territory. Like many remote
First Australian communities, Beswick
faces a range of complex ongoing
challenges. Many people in the town
feel disempowered by poorly conceived
policies and decisions. A lack of access
to services and general feelings of
helplessness, rejection and loss also mean
that a lot of families struggle with financial
hardship. “Not enough jobs, housing is still
too crowded, alcohol problems and health
problems,” Evangeline explains.
In the community of just 450 people,
finishing school doesn’t always feel
possible. Evangeline completed Year 11,
but didn’t consider Year 12. “Everyone at
Beswick doesn’t finish high school,” she
says. “I didn’t really think about doing more
education at the time.”
After high school, Evangeline tried a few
career options, but soon felt dispirited. “I
got caught up in drinking for a while,” she
admits. “But by the time I was 22, I really
started to think about doing something
positive with my life.”
With this in mind, Evangeline approached
the Djilpin Arts Ghunmarn Culture Centre
in Beswick. The Centre is an entirely
community-owned venture, supported by
Caritas Australia’s Development of Cultural
Enterprise program. At the Centre, the
aim is to bring together Elders and young
people, like Evangeline, so new generations
can learn traditional skills and understand
cultural knowledge. This is achieved
through many mediums including art,
storytelling, dance and song, which helps
create a sense of cultural ownership and
responsibility in the community. The
Centre also develops cultural enterprises,
including exhibiting and selling locallyproduced artwork.
Evangeline had sought work at the
Centre several times before, and her
determination paid off when a short-term
maternity contract became available.
The management at the Centre quickly
recognised Evangeline’s potential and
within months she was offered a full-time
role as an Artsworker.
Since joining the Djilpin Arts Ghunmarn
Culture Centre, Evangeline has truly
flourished. She has undertaken many
training programs in the past three years,
and was the youngest Artsworker ever to
be accepted into the ANKAAA Artsworkers
Extension Program, which took Evangeline
to Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra. “We
visited the big art galleries, learning about
conservation and collections,” she says. “I
had to give talks about Djilpin Arts, including
PowerPoint presentations.” Evangeline
excelled in the program, and was invited
back to Melbourne the following year to
mentor new undergraduates, and share
her experience, culture and learnings.
Evangeline is happy to have such a
fulfilling role. “This opportunity has helped
me turn my life into something more positive,”
she says. “It makes me more confident and
more independent.”
In her newest role as Senior Artsworker,
Evangeline is committed to helping her
community remain connected to their
culture. “If I share my knowledge back at
Beswick, other young people might get
interested in working and keeping culture,”
Evangeline explains. “Culture is our identity
and how we understand ourselves. It’s
important for us young people to be able to
learn these skills and then we can pass them
on when we are old.”
With your support, Evangeline and her
community are gaining the skills and
desire to preserve traditional culture,
and encourage a new phase of arts and
cultural expression. Or, as Evangeline
simply says: “You are helping us to keep our
culture alive.”
- What did Evangeline
learn? What did you learn?
- How did Evangeline
create change?