Isaac received the Warrior of the Term award for his leadership, embrace of culture and for giving his best to the program, while Waripa was recognised for didgeridoo playing.
‘‘We try and make it so we are all equals while we are in the program,’’ Isaac said.
‘‘No-one is better than anyone else; we’re all brothers. We’re all equals.’’
The Tirkandi Inaburra program is a 10 week cultural and self-improvement opportunity for young Aboriginal boys aged 12 to 15.
‘‘This program is about the path from being a young boy to becoming a man,’’ senior project officer at the Yarkuwa Indigenous Centre and Isaac’s mother Karen Wilson explained.
Tirkandi Inaburra teaches and preserves important cultural practices, including Aboriginal dance, Wiradjuri language lessons, bush walks and camps and includes trips to culturally significant sites with Aboriginal elders.
Participants from across the region live on the land for 10 weeks, away from their homes and family.
‘‘We’re all very proud of the boys for sticking it out away from their family for 10 weeks, and for what they achieved for themselves,’’ Ms Wilson said.
The program also teaches participants to build and play a didgeridoo, for which Waripa was acknowledged for his exceptional circular breathing technique.
‘‘They said he was the best player they have had in 16 years, when the program first started,’’ Ms Wilson said.
Circular breathing techniques can often take up to four to six months to learn.
A record four Tirkandi graduates mastered circular breathing last term.
Assistant Manager for Tirkandi Inaburra Rebecca Zilionis said that Waripa’s guidance to other students was ‘‘definitely’’ the reason so many students picked up the skill.
‘‘Waripa really grew a lot during the program and it was a pleasure to have both boys,’’ Ms Zilionis said.
Isaac’s didgeridoo was also recognised for its intricate Guddi design, which he spent hours wood-burning onto his instrument.
‘‘My design includes a lot of home and origin,’’ Isaac said.
‘‘I put a lot of detail into it and wood-burned a lot of cross-hatching and dotting.’’
Tirkandi Inaburra also imparts essential life skills, such as learning how to write a resume.
Waripa says he ‘‘wouldn’t say I have a complete sense of where my life is going to go, but I feel that it’s a lot easier now that I know how to get there.’’
Waripa and Isaac are now interested in practising native dance and are considering assembling a local Aboriginal dance group, which they say will be the first of its kind in the region.
The Tirkandi Inaburra Program is open to any Aboriginal boys between the ages of 12 and 15.
‘‘We highly encourage people to apply and to reconnect with their culture and their community,’’ Ms Zilionis said.
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