BEL has contributed $4500 to a student-led fundraising effort for Northern Peninsula Area State College, going towards an end-of-year trip for the college’s Year 12 students.

Tullia Cilia, visual arts teacher at the college, said that travelling on a school camp is expensive, especially coming from a remote school.

“Other schools do not have to deal with these travel costs. The funding helps disadvantaged families here in our community who would otherwise find a camp like this unaffordable,” Mrs Cilia said.

The students will travel to the Gold Coast in September, where they will enjoy a day at a theme park before taking part in adventure, leadership and social activities at the Gold Coast Recreation Centre. 

 

“From the feedback we have received, everyone had a great night with more than 100 people attending and raising over $3,700,” Mrs Cilia said.

“Excursions like this are very common for students in the cities to attend but we often miss out because we live so far away from such facilities.

“These camps help our kids build leadership skills, social and bonding skills, and will also be a reward for the Year 12s after all their hard work and dedication.”

The school and students have been creatively fundraising for the trip all year by coordinating various activities including a trivia night, colour run, market stalls, school canteen takeovers and selling icy poles.

BP Bamaga, a BEL operation, also donated a mountain bike plus two gift bundles including Bamaga souvenirs to be used as prizes for the college Trivia Night.

The mountain bike was sold for $200 as part of an auction and the gift packs were used as prizes for the winning trivia team and a raffle on the night.

“The bike was a major drawcard for the event. We want to say a huge thank you to BEL for all of these donations and funding as it will take a lot of stress off the students’ shoulders. It’s a really big help after all of their hard work in fundraising,” said Mrs Cilia.

Year 7 student, Samuela Hudson, has received a boost in her education after BEL sponsored a new laptop to assist in her secondary school education.

With her daughter currently enrolled at Cairns State High School, Samuela’s mother, Vanessa Hudson, said the laptop will go a long way in helping with her daughter’s schooling endeavours.

“They usually receive laptops from school, but over the years they have been worn down and she wasn’t allowed to take them home, whereas now she has the chance to study and complete assignments after school hours,” Ms Hudson said.

Currently living with her Grandmother in order to attend school in Cairns, and with limited access to transport, the laptop will save time and stress for Samuela who won’t have to worry about getting to and from the library.

As learning material continues to transition to a digital format, Vanessa says it’s fantastic that BEL is able to help out the local community school kids with this change.

“It can be tough sometimes as a single mother and I am very very grateful that we have an organisation that helps out parents and kids in the Northern Peninsula region.”

Over 400 local community members of the Northern Peninsula Area (NPA) and tourists celebrated Mabo Day on 3 June with a tasty feast, assisted by a Bamaga Enterprises Ltd (BEL) sponsorship.

BEL provided $600 worth of boat fuel for locals to fish and catch a variety of traditional indigenous foods including fish, dugong crayfish and turtle.

“We had over 200 people from the local communities and around 200 tourists attend the event, and we made sure everyone got to try the traditional foods we celebrate this special day with,” said event coordinator, Kitty Tabuai.

“Here in the NPA we come from different clan groups that reside throughout Torres Strait and Cape York, so we decided to practice the native titles we all represent in our clans.”

“We had a march with all the different clan groups, speeches from special guests including Mr Ali Nona who was a part of the celebration on Murray Island when it first started and Mr Ben Mabo who is a member of the Mabo family,” Ms Tabuai said.

Island dancing, traditional cultural games and a local band were also part of the Mabo Day celebrations.

“We would like to say a huge thank you to BEL for the sponsorship and allowing us to provide an important feast of traditional foods that was enjoyed by all, including the tourists,” Ms Tabuai said.