In a longstanding partnership, students from the Marree Aboriginal School and Pembroke School have enjoyed their differences.
Story Ken Eastwood Photo courtesy Pembroke
For almost 30 years, an unusual partnership has developed between the 1700-strong Pembroke School, in Adelaide, and one of the smallest schools in SA, Marree Aboriginal School. Almost every year, a group of about 20 students from Pembroke comes to Marree for a visit and a cultural tour of the region. Sometimes Marree’s students travel to Pembroke and the big smoke in return, and some have even studied at Pembroke.
“Being a small school with not many students, they gain from that social interaction with other students,” says principal of the Marree school, Kate James. “There’s some role modelling that happens with that. Our older students also go out and do the camp and that’s good for them to reconnect with country and spend time with peers their own age.”
In 2024, the Marree Aboriginal School had 19 children across all years, including preschool and creche. “It’s good for our kids to learn how to talk to different people, because at school they’re nearly all related,” Kate said.
This story excerpt is from Issue #158
Outback Magazine: December/January 2025
