For the seventh year in a row, St Peter Claver College Year 12 students have spent time experiencing the First Nations community of Cherbourg.
The experience took place from Thursday 7 to Friday 8 May 2026, with the two-day, one-night program devoted to connecting with the community and broadening students’ awareness and understanding of First Nations culture, history and perspectives.
Assistant Principal – Identity and Formation Ms Angela Ryan, said it was humbling to watch the students have such a profound experience.
“This formative experience is one expression of our community’s commitment to reconciliation. As a community, we are committed to deepening our learning and expanding our understanding of First Nations cultures and histories,” she said. “As I shared this experience with students and listened to and read their reflections, the great value of hearing firsthand from First Nations People was so clear. We felt very grateful and humbled by the bravery and generosity it took to share those hard truths of history and their ongoing impact. I hope students will continue this learning journey, becoming more informed, more expansive in their thinking and more fully human.”
Year 12 student Hozanah Iosefo said the experience helped her gain a greater understanding and respect for Aboriginal history and culture.
“What impacted me most was seeing how strong and resilient the community remained despite everything they had been through,” she said. “It opened my eyes to an important part of Australian history and made me appreciate the importance of listening to and learning from experiences, so the mistakes of the past are never forgotten.”
On the first day, students visited the Ration Shed Museum, where they heard the stories from Elders, explored historical and contemporary exhibitions, viewed films, saw artists’ artwork and walked around the landscaped gardens.
Year 12 student Isabella Grace said there were a few moments that particularly stood out to her during the experience.
“The first was when we visited the boys’ dormitory and had the opportunity to read all the stories on the walls. The next moment that stood out to me was when Uncle Eric talked to us on the Friday morning about his mother. He shared that she was taken to Cherbourg and never returned to her country. These two moments vividly stood out to me because I realised that what I’ve learned previously as an Australian citizen about the Stolen Generations and the mistreatment of Indigenous Australians, was absolutely surface level compared to the depth of what really happened,” she said.
Year 12 student Elli Miller also said many moments of the experience stood out.
“Walking through the old boys’ dormitory, reading the stories and seeing the photographs of the people who lived there deeply touched my heart,” she said. “I felt sadness and empathy for what they went through, but I was also inspired by their resilience and strength. One of the most important lessons I took away was the way many different tribes came together to create one strong community. I think this is something we can relate to in our Claver family. We may not choose who we go to school with, but building strong, kind and supportive relationships with the people around us is what helps us get through the tough times at school and in life.”
On the second day, students and staff participated in a yarning session with local Elder Uncle Eric Law at the Ration Shed before travelling the short distance to Burt Button Lookout in Cherbourg.
Pastoral Leader – Year 12 Mr Elwell said, “These experiences encouraged us to reflect on our role in creating a more just future and to act with empathy, humility and responsibility. Rather than passive awareness, this experience called us to ongoing learning and sharing.”
Upon returning from Cherbourg students attended the Marist Connect Night where they were able to share their experience with other students from Marist Schools.
“From a Catholic perspective, this experience offered an opportunity for students and staff to respond to the call for social justice. Our faith and values encourage us to listen, learn and walk together and our visit to Cherbourg helped us to understand what that looks like in practice,” said Mr Elwell.
“I want to share my great appreciation to the P&F for funding this experience and making it possible. It has been a learning highlight of my Senior year that I will always look back on. I will be forever grateful,” Year 12 student Isabella Grace said.
© Brisbane Catholic Education, St Peter Claver College (2026).