What's on

18th May 2010 - Goldfields up and running

True Blue Dreaming is up and running in the Goldfields!  A group of 5 medical students working at Kalgoorlie Hospital have taken on board the job of getting the mentoring program off the ground this year.  The group has established strong links with the local Wongutha Birni Aboriginal organisation and Community High School.  They have also been successful in obtaining some funding through the Department of Sport & Recreation.  The new TBD mentors are in the process of introducing themselves to potential mentees with a view to beginning formal mentoring over the coming months.  Watch this space ...

20th March 2010 - TBD/St George's mentoring program kick off

Twenty three mentors and twelve students from Wyalkatchem came together at the big red castle that is St George's College on Saturday 20th for the first day of activities in our TBD/St George's mentoring program. On a typically brilliant Perth summer's day, the Wylie kids were welcomed with morning tea before a quick game of speed greeting broke the ice and got names, backgrounds and favourite ice cream flavours flowing between mentors and mentees. Then it was off to explore the castle, peek into the oft-mentioned 'Hogwarts dining room', clamber through the narrow staircases and halls of college, admire the beautiful Chapel and hear the legend of our resident pet 'Volderfish'.

Full of energy the group returned to the front lawn where an innocuously sounding soccer game turned out to involve three legs, twenty people and lots of laughter! With mentors and mentees tied at the ankles and linked at the arms running, let along negotiating a soccer field, was difficult but fun work. The game ended with a not surprisingly low score, many flushed faces and lots of enthusiasm.

After the game everyone moved over to the cool shade of Matilda Bay for a delicious BBQ lunch prepared by the mentors. Being refreshed with food and chatter, casual games of croquet, bocce and soccer continued amongst the more active members while others took time to sit near the river and chat.
After lunch we journeyed over to the university campus for a much anticipated game of 'rounders'. Teams of two worked together to throw, kick or drop their odd assortment of balls out into the field and run as far around the bases before the fielding team collected and returned the balls. We competed our way through four closely matched rounds, with team strategies becoming increasingly convoluted as the afternoon progressed.

With the day advancing towards a close we wandered back to college and brought everyone together for some less active group activities in the College quadrangle. With everyone arranged in a circle we played theatre sports and the oddly named 'Bippity Boppity Boo' game. Then it was time for the final activity of the day, a climb up the narrow dusty staircase to the very top of College. Emerging on the tower, the mentees had time to take in the view of Perth, Matilda Bay and the university campus before being invited to reflect on their day of activities and nominate mentors who they would like to be paired with.

Afternoon tea awaited us on our return to the ground, and after an exchange of thank yous and farewells the mentees boarded their bus for the return trip to Wylie.

Thank you to Glyn for driving the bus and being part of the day, Jan for organising the mentees and being the energy behind this program, for Richard, Dave and John at College for their involvement, supervision and support, for all the mentees who journeyed to Perth with much energy, enthusiasm and openness and for the fabulous mentors at St George's for all their planning, organising and dedication to the TBD/St George's mentoring program!

Jade Roberts