Two proud CDU students, Maletta Wigness and Ruth Marrwulpul, recently travelled from Galiwinku on Elcho Island, off the Arnhem Land coast, to Darwin to celebrate achieving a Certificate I in Business.
This, hopefully, will be the first of a number of graduations for the women who are continuing their studies in a Certificate II in Business.
Maletta, from the Karuareg Nation, comes from a Torres Strait island off the Western Group, and completed school to Year 9 on Thursday Island.
She moved to Weipa with her family where she took up her first appointment as a clerical assistant before moving to Canberra to work for the Taxation Department.
In 1985 Maletta returned to her studies while working in Darwin and later moved to Galiwinku.
Ruth attended Dhupuma College in Nhulunbuy and worked as an assistant bookkeeper following school. She has been a student at CDU since 1998.
To mark their graduation, students from the Crocodylus World Virtual Enterprise program organised a celebratory barbecue lunch which was attended by staff and students from CDU’s School of Australian Indigenous Knowledge Systems.
During their visit, Maletta and Ruth also enjoyed a campus and library tour, attended a “staff” meeting at the Crocodylus World VE program, carried out work experience at business partner Crocodylus Park and toured the new Darwin Convention Centre.