One of Nungalinya College’s aims is to deepen the pastoral experience of Aboriginal leaders. Anglican Dean Ruth Walton is passionate about this, and in 2024 a pilot program commenced where newly graduated Indigenous Chaplains work alongside her for each four-week teaching block…

When Nungalinya College turned 50 last year the theme of celebrations was Jubilee and freedom for the captives. Luke 4:18 says “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.”

I have come to realise that when I, as a white person, walk into a room, that room changes. No longer do the students feel free to be themselves or say what they really think; they now behave as though they’re ‘under me’. They have become used to having the ‘whitefella’ take the lead. The College, led by Ben van Gelderen, has a dream to change this by empowering our Indigenous brothers and sisters to have the confidence to take the lead, particularly in the life of their various churches.

The Chaplaincy pilot program runs alongside my role of Anglican Dean. Each Chaplain works with me for a four-week period. They work in the morning until about 11am and have the rest of the day off. They then provide pastoral care in the evenings when I am not on site.

Mandy was my first chaplain. She had worked in whitefella organisations before but had always worked for a ‘boss’. On her first day we agreed that we would work as equals. While a new experience for Mandy, her confidence gradually began to rise and by the end of four weeks we worked together as genuine team.

I learnt so much from Mandy. She helped me reflect on how we operate as a college, and our expectations of students. There were times when a student would come in, I would chat away assuming all was well, but when they left, Mandy would
help me see that much of our conversation was likely to have been misunderstood. Maybe I spoke too fast, used complex language or simply assumed knowledge the student did not have – it was so enlightening. This made me realise how much harder it was for a student on a poor telephone connection to understand (or not!) – it was ‘ear-opening’.

It was exciting to see Mandy grow in confidence in her interactions with the students; she played an increasingly active role in evening fellowship often offering support and encouragement alongside praying with individuals. Miriam came in to work with me after having served as a teacher earlier in the term, she began to take the initiative – ‘Maybe I could do your job one day!’ Miriam said, and it was my thought as well. Her confidence and her ability to network with students was amazing. She offered to ring the students coming for the next block. I left her with the list and said, ‘see how you go’. By the time I returned, she’d called the whole list. That would have taken me a few days. Because the students know Miriam, they picked up the phone. The power of relationships is remarkable. I’ve got good relationships after four years, but still some people remain reluctant to pick up the phone for my call.

Working alongside Mandy and Miriam has been an incredibly rewarding experience. They are godly women and know their Bible well. I learnt so much from them as we prayed and intentionally reflected together. There was learning in both directions which I love.

One day, I believe the Anglican Dean could be Indigenous. The prayer is that someone will come into my role next year and be willing to continue the journey of equipping someone to do just that.