TWO WORLDS, ONE BIG DREAM

providing young indigenous leaders with the confidence to “walk confidently in two worlds” — the one back home and one down here. It was established in 2011 by Cameron Begg and Melissa Patterson, former teachers in remote Northern Territory communities with a deep understanding of the issues some Yolngu people face. Evelyn and Justina, and their cousin Mekala, live downstairs at Begg and Patterson’s house in a self-contained “teenage retreat” where they learn to be independent. They have to shop and cook their own meals, make their own school lunches, do their own washing and are responsible for the daily upkeep of the flat. Evelyn attends Belmont High School and mixes standard literacy and numeracy subjects with practical subjects like outdoor education and food technology. Before making her debut for the Cats, she played a handful of games for St Joseph’s in the AFL Barwon’s new senior women’s league. “Evelyn has been incredibly enthusiastic, resilient and hardworking since she arrived in Geelong,” Begg said. “She’s grabbing this opportunity with both hands and running with it. “She is positive and bubbly and has a permanent smile on her face, even on the coldest days, and she’s organised and busy around the flat and gets stuck into her jobs. “Cooking without a fuss — in that sense she’s already a great leader for the other girls in the flat. “It’s an absolute joy for us to help Evelyn on her journey to achieving her goals in life.”