Nadia Mills came to teach at Central School last year, and this year she accepted the position of Principal. She’d been to Wilcannia before, on a pig-hunting trip with her family and another family when she was 13 or 14. She says, ‘I love Wilcannia. It’s such a welcoming, friendly community.’
Nadia has been teaching Aboriginal kids all her life. After training in Adelaide, her first teaching position was in an Aboriginal community called Alekarenge, 400 km north of Alice Springs. ‘I love teaching bush Aboriginal kids,’ she says.’ They’re so resilient, creative and engaged.’
While she was at Alekarenge she married Craig, who had grown up in Alice Springs and was working on a nearby Station. ‘I loved being at Alekarenge,’ she says, ‘but after I married Craig, we moved to Alice Springs to have our family, and I taught at the High School there.’
They reared their three children in Renmark and after they’d grown up, Nadia and Craig spent 4 years in the beautiful, remote APY Lands (Aboriginal-owned Lands) in the north of South Australia. Nadia was Principal of a small Aboriginal school and Craig did maintenance work right across the Lands. They both loved being in that remote Country (500 km south of Alice Springs) but they’re now very happy to be here. Craig is enjoying doing stock work and carting goats for Coonoolcra Station and Nadia is looking forward to her new role at the school.
‘The Wilcannia kids are a lot like the kids in the APY Lands,’ says Nadia. ‘They’re resilient, creative and engaged. And people in the Wilcannia community have been so friendly.’
Sarah Donnelley, who worked closely with Nadia last year, says ‘Wilcannia Central School is lucky to have a leader who is as dedicated and passionate about education as Nadia. She has high expectations and is keen to work with the community to ensure that we are providing the best opportunities for students to experience learning that’s connected to Culture and Country. Nadia is also striving towards developing work pathways for Wilcannia’s young people.’
Wilcannia News is happy to welcome Nadia to her new position, her husband Craig, and also the new teachers at Central School and St. Therese’s.
This article appeared in the Wilcannia News, February 2023.
