Uncle Charlie: The Invisible Hero
English
•
Documentary
On 3 March 1942, Japanese Zero fighter planes launched a devastating air raid on Broome, Western Australia. Charles D'Antoine, a young Indigenous man, was cleaning flying boats in Roebuck Bay when the bombs fell. Amid the chaos, Charles known to his loved ones as Uncle Charlie, saved the lives of three Dutch citizens. For his bravery, he was awarded a Silver Medal by the Dutch government. But why was this act of heroism never officially recognised by Australia? Over three episodes, SBS Dutch journalist Paulien Roessink speaks with historians, community members, survivors, and descendants to explore the impact of the attack—and why Uncle Charlie's heroism was not acknowleged. SBS Dutch and NITV Radio bring you a series that asks what it means to be acknowledged, and why some acts of courage are celebrated while others are forgotten.
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SBS Australia
27 minutes ago
- SBS Australia
This school's cane toad muster shows how education could be done differently
Most children are already home from school when darkness falls. But in the Kimberley, it's a different story. Once the sun sets, these kids are armed with rubbish bags and a bunch of sticks to walk through their community of Woorreranginy — also known as Frog Hollow — in search of cane toads. The invasive species come out at night and can be lethal to native predators who try to eat them, including quokkas, reptiles and birds. But they're no match for the students of Purnululu Aboriginal Independent Community School (PAICS). "Our science teacher came up with this idea to toad muster because I think he's seen a lot of them here," Sophia Mung, the Maja Gijam Boorroo (Boss for Gija Language and Culture) at PAICS, told SBS News. Mairead Scanlon, who became principal of the school this year, says the extracurricular activity is all about teaching the Gija children the importance of protecting their Country. "They went out for a few hours … they're helping protect the country," Scanlon told SBS News. "The disposal is the tricky bit. You need to freeze them and make sure you don't put them in the bin too far before rubbish day as they can smell a bit." It's just one way education is done differently in the East Kimberley. A key part of the Gija curriculum is On Country learning, where students engage in hands-on, culturally responsive teachings on Aboriginal land. Source: Supplied Aboriginal education that's the 'first of its kind' PAICS is the first Aboriginal school in Western Australia to formally change its entire curriculum to focus on Gija learning. It isn't aware of any other schools in Australia that approach Aboriginal education like it does. The school is working to revive Gija, the traditional language of the area that has been spoken for thousands of years. Its entire teaching program — from literacy, to numeracy, to art and science — centres on Gija stories, language, kinship and connection to Country. Mung is one of the last fluent Gija speakers left, and has been working for years to ensure her knowledge is passed down to the next generation. She's spent the last few years co-developing an alternative Gija curriculum for the school — recognised by the Curriculum Standards Authority in Western Australia — based on Gija culture and language. Most of the 46 students enrolled from early childhood to high school speak English as their second language. Their first is Gija Kriol, which combines Gija and Kriol. Aboriginal Kriol languages developed after European invasion and there are numerous dialects. They are primarily spoken in the Northern Territory and Western Australia. While some may perceive them as similar to English, Kriol is recognised as a legitimate language with its own grammatical system. Gija woman Sophia Mung (left) is one of the last fluent speakers of Gija and has worked for years to co-develop the Gija curriculum. She's teaming up with school principal Mairead Scanlon (right) to change the way education is done in Aboriginal communities. Source: Supplied The school is working with a language consultant to develop the orthography — a system of writing rules — for Gija Kriol, and is hoping to create a structured phonics and literacy program for the language to be taught in the school. "Gija Kriol is what they're speaking at home," Scanlon said. "A lot of kids when they get to school, it might be the first time they hear standard Australian English being spoken — and that's a really big challenge for them." Mung adds that the school's focus on embedding the Gija curriculum into every lesson, rather than offering individual units addressing Aboriginal language or culture, has led to some students travelling long distances from neighbouring towns to attend the school. Some of the kids come from 35 kilometres down the road in Warmun … they hear that we are teaching our traditional language here. Sophia Mung, Maja Gijam Boorroo (Boss for Gija Language and Culture) at Purnululu Aboriginal Independent Community School A foundational element of the curriculum is On Country learning, where students engage in hands-on, culturally responsive teachings on Aboriginal land. There are also after-school art clubs, regular cook-ups, and a Gija ranger program in the works. "A big focus of that is teaching the kids how to identify the native plants, what the non-native plants are, and then whether they're actually invasive," Scanlon said. Another key element is allowing students to develop their own Dreamtime stories based on the land and stories they are living on, written in Gija. The school also works with linguists and Kriol language consultants to convert traditional books into Gija Kriol, and to develop dedicated phonics resources. The children learn to read and write in Gija Kriol before standard Australian English. Purnululu Aboriginal Independent Community School is working with a language consultant to develop the orthography for Gija Kriol, including translating books and creating a structured phonics and literacy program. Source: Supplied Scanlon says the approach results in strong attendance and engagement because the kids feel "at home". "They feel that their language and culture is recognised and celebrated, so they're able to come to school proud," she said. Mung says their success is an example of how schools can resonate with Aboriginal students. "I think it would be good [for schools to] introduce their own Dreaming stories, bring them into the schools, and get the elders to come in and teach it. "You might get a lot of First Nations kids excelling at school." First Nations education gap widens Despite producing great outcomes for literacy and numeracy, the knowledge of kids at PAICS struggles to be recognised under standardised testing. The results of NAPLAN — Australia's largest standardised test — were released on Wednesday, showing student literacy and numeracy appeared to be stagnating across Australia. Almost one in three Indigenous students fell below minimum standards and needed extra support, compared to less than one in 10 non-Indigenous students. There was also a regional divide, with just one in five students in very remote areas considered strong or exceeding expectations, far below 70 per cent of students in major cities. LISTEN TO Key education outcomes in First Nations communities, like increasing Year 12 and tertiary education participation, were improving, but not on track to meet targets. Marian Vidal-Fernandez, associate professor in the School of Economics at the University of Sydney, says the large gaps are "deeply concerning, but sadly not new". She adds that since 2023 — the most recent comparable cohort — there are no signs of this gap narrowing. "This persistence points to systemic issues in how resources are allocated and how culturally and contextually appropriate support needs to be delivered to the communities most in need," she told SBS News. But the NT government appears to be doubling down on 'explicit teaching' and a focus on school attendance to boost numeracy and literacy standards. "This is about delivering results, not excuses," NT education minister Jo Hersey said in a statement about the 2025 NAPLAN results. "We're turning that around by getting kids back in the classroom and giving teachers the tools that work." She said territory-wide participation rates had risen from 79.4 per cent in 2024 to 81.5 per cent in 2025. Federal Education Minister Jason Clare said the NAPLAN results showed "encouraging signs of improvement", but said there was "more work to do". He said the government had committed to the biggest investment in public schools by an Australian government — $16 billion over the next 10 years. 'Traditional methods aren't meeting the needs of kids' While NAPLAN may highlight widening gaps, some are concerned the test also doesn't fully capture the breadth of students' knowledge. A sit-down paper like NAPLAN is considered by many to be a Eurocentric, Western approach to education that may not take into account cultural nuances or hands-on knowledge. For example, tests on comprehension rely on students being familiar with the words but also the broader story themes. If these are based on city-centric experiences, this may disadvantage those living in rural or remote areas. "If there was a story about going down to the river to catch some fish, the kids would be able to comprehend every part of that story," Scanlon explained. These standardised tests are penalising knowledge that isn't [seen] as relevant. They're not giving kids the chance to demonstrate the knowledge that they do have or the skills they are developing. Mairead Scanlon, principal of Purnululu Aboriginal Independent Community School Vidal-Fernandez says that evidence shows that when NAPLAN questions use everyday scenarios or contexts that Indigenous students understand, performance improves significantly. Scanlon says there is evidence that Aboriginal children are very competent at hands-on, visual learning — something that also cannot be captured in a sit-down exam like NAPLAN. While she understands the need for standardised testing, especially to gauge how schools are performing on average, she says poor results among Aboriginal students don't reflect their true ability. "There's not this recognition that kids are coming in already fully comprehending their first language, and then transitioning into another language and being assessed on it," the principal said. Principal Mairead Scanlon says there is evidence that First Nations students are very competent at hands-on, visual learning — something not captured in an exam like NAPLAN. Source: Supplied Parents can elect for their children to opt out of the NAPLAN test if they wish, something all parents at PAICS have done, as they don't see it as meaningfully contributing to their understanding of their child's development. "We can show them all the [alternative] evidence of how their children are growing," Scanlon explained. Scanlon says the limitations of NAPLAN don't just apply to Aboriginal schools. "This is happening across the whole education system. People are realising that the very traditional methods of teaching and learning aren't meeting the needs of a lot of kids." 'So much work to be done' Vidal-Fernandez says that while NAPLAN can be a "useful snapshot" for understanding broad trends in literacy and numeracy, as well as highlighting systemic gaps, it has clear limitations and is a "narrow assessment". She recommends allowing Indigenous communities to adapt the test to their needs in a way that's culturally appropriate. "[NAPLAN] doesn't capture essential aspects of education like creativity, cultural knowledge, social-emotional learning, teamwork, or artistic expression. These are core parts of a holistic education and deserve more emphasis." Scanlon hopes there will be opportunities to develop a more collective approach to literacy and numeracy among schools like hers with similar demographics. She says her school has invested a huge amount of time, money and resources into its innovative curriculum. "But if we want systemic improvement and change, we need funding to develop these programs for entire regions so it's not just individual schools that are running their own race with this." Queensland's Human Rights Commissioner, Scott McDougall, who will be speaking at this weekend's Garma Festival — Australia's largest Indigenous gathering — says plenty of work needs to be done between education departments and representatives of First Nations communities to ensure schools are retaining students and teaching them effectively. He acknowledges the need to develop appropriate curricula for First Nations groups, something that he isn't seeing broadly in Queensland. There are so many rights that are tied up in the education system, including cultural rights and the right to be taught your own language. Scott McDougall, Queensland's Human Rights Commissioner "So many schools report that First Nations children do not see any relevance in the material that's being presented to them," he said. He adds that a key issue is the high rates of student absences as a result of suspensions and expulsions, which can go against the right to education, now protected by Queensland's Human Rights Act. McDougall will speak at Garma about the meaningful enactment of human rights in First Nations communities, and says education is a core part of this. "There's so much work to be done in the education space," he said. "It's foundational to the empowerment of First Nations communities — and it's lagging well behind."
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Alarming increase in Australia's ‘working poor' slipping into homelessness, Homelessness Australia data shows
The number of working families people in dire need of emergency help has substantially increased, with one homelessness services provider fearing that the 'rise of the working poor' is resulting in families with children 'not just struggling' but 'slipping into homelessness'. New data from Homelessness Australia found that between 2021-22 to 2023-24, there was a 5 per cent uptick in families with children turning to homelessness services for urgent help. Nominally, this reflected a 4654-person increase, with 92,476 people seeking help from services in that period, with the number of families already homeless at the time of seeking help increasing by 11 per cent. The number of clients with a waged income requiring support also grown from 10.5 per cent to 12.1 per cent over the two-year period. The nation peak body said the sharper rates of homelessness was exacerbated by the housing crisis, plus under-resourced services grappling with years of increased demand. Perth-based provider St Patrick's Community Support Centre chief Michael Piu said his organisation had reached 'unprecedented demand', with staff now seeing 'working families' facing homelessness for the first time. Describing the cohort as the 'working poor', he said supporting families facing homelessness was challenging, with the system set up to respond to single adults. 'Families now make up 25 per cent of our case-managed clients and up to 43 per cent of those seeking emergency relief. That's a sharp increase, and it's still likely under-reported,' he said. 'Right now, we know of at least 92 children sleeping in cars, tents, or other unsafe places, and many are still trying to get to school. 'One family with four kids, two with autism, and a mother battling cancer, was couch-surfing for seven months. Her surgery was delayed because they had nowhere to live.' He said the immense demand was resulting in services being unable to give support to those desperately requiring held. 'Our services are overwhelmed. We're doing our best, but we are barely touching the tip of the iceberg in terms of reaching everyone who needs help – let alone giving them the help they need,' he said 'We're seeing the fallout – increased domestic violence, impacts on the health and wellbeing of children, declining mental health. This isn't just a housing issue. It's a human one.' Ahead of Labor's push on productivity, Homelessness Australia chief executive Kate Colvin said Australia's growing 'homelessness emergency' was both a social and economic problem. 'How can you hold down a job, contribute to the economy and keep your family safe and physically and mentally well when you don't have somewhere safe to come home to?' she said. 'When children move from couch to couch, or when families are sleeping in cars and tents, looking for the next safe place, parents miss work, and can slip into unemployment, children disengage from school, and the health costs associated with homelessness spiral.' The group has called on the government to create a National Housing and Homelessness Plan with clear targets and timelines to ensure accountability, boost social housing investment to ensure stock accounts for 10 per cent of homes, and increase funding to First Nations organisations. Ms Colvin said desire to fix the problem should be a 'no-brainer'. 'Being homeless costs a lot of money, and makes it harder for everyday Australians to contribute to their communities, but there are clear actions we can take to end homelessness, while also boosting the economy,' she said. Mr Piu said the sector needed a 'national co-ordinated response' and it needs it 'now'. 'We need to be focused on prevention, early intervention, and providing diverse housing options – to respond to the immediate crisis, and to ensure a strong future for our children and our nation.'
ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Message in a bottle found in Cape Bruny Lighthouse wall 122 years after it was written
Here is something you do not see every day — or even for the past century. A message in a bottle has been found 122 years after it was hidden within a wall cavity at one of Australia's oldest lighthouses, the Cape Bruny Lighthouse on Bruny Island, off Tasmania's south-east coast. The piece of Tasmanian maritime history was found by a specialist painter who was treating a section of the lighthouse. Tasmania's Natural Resources and Environment Department said the painter noticed "something unusual lodged in the wall" while chipping away at the rust — a sealed glass bottle containing a message. Inside was an envelope containing a letter dated January 29, 1903. "The author, JR Meech, inspector of lighthouses for the Hobart Marine Board, supervised the construction, upgrading, and maintenance of major Tasmanian lights including Cape Bruny, Cape Sorell, Maatsuyker Island, Tasman Island, Table Cape, and Mersey Bluff," the department said. "In the letter, Mr Meech details upgrades made to Cape Bruny Lighthouse in 1903, including the installation of a new staircase, floor, lantern room, and lens. "He notes the cost of the works, outlines the new flash sequence of the light, and lists the names of those who contributed to the project, effectively preserving a moment in time." Parks and Wildlife Service historic heritage manager Annita Waghorn said she was shocked when she got the call about the find. "We had some specialist access painters in the lighthouse painting, and I got a call from them saying, 'we've found such an exciting thing, we've found a bottle in the wall of the lighthouse'," Ms Waghorn told ABC Radio Hobart. Cape Bruny Lighthouse was first lit in 1838 and is heritage-listed. Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) conservator of objects Michelle Berry had the honour of opening the bottle. "The unbottling happened at our Moonah objects lab," Ms Berry said. It was then up to Cobus Van Breda from TMAG to remove the letter inside, which he said was a tricky exercise. "The bottle was sealed with a cork coated in bitumen, which made removal challenging," he said. "We had to remove the bitumen from the top of the cork, then carefully work our way around the cork to detach it from the glass as the cork had been dipped in bitumen." "The next challenge was to get the message out of the bottle. It had been folded in a way that made it quite challenging to get it through the narrow neck of the bottle without damaging it." It then took the team several days to decipher what the message said. TMAG said there were plans for the letter to be put on display, but just where had not yet been decided.
