This history of Walungurru School has been written by Irene Nangala and is used with her kind permission.

Kutjupa tjuta nyinapayi Ngutjulta tjana ngalyayankupayi Walungurrulakutu katinytjaku payimilantjaku mangarri kamu kukakutarra tjana mantjira yankupayi taraka tinangka tjananya katirralpi wanikatipayi ngurrangka. Palulanguru waala wilykipala palyanu tjanampa ruma wiima kutjutjarra. Tjana kapi katilpayi puwungka. Palulanguru yanangu tjutangku kulinangi miitingi walypalangku watjaningka yanangu tjuta watjanu. Ngananatju yunytjurringanyi kuula ngaangka ngaranytjaku nganampa pipirri tjuta tjarrpanytjaku nintirrinytjaku.

1982ngka Nilanya kamu Nakamaranya kutjarrapula ngalya anu Walungurrulakutu warrkarrinytjaku. Nilalu kamu Nakamarralu pipirri tjuta kanyilpayi kuulangka watiya tina kutjungka. Pipirri tjuta ngalya yankupayi kuulaku yalilingku tjarrpanytjaku tjana piipa wakara tjunkupayi pukutju tinangka wiya mantangka. Tjana kulilpayi nyinangu tjana nganananya yalpamilapayi mungarrtji piipa tjuta mantjintjaku. Tjipanyalpi ngalya anu Walungurrulakutu warrkarrinytjaku kuulangka. Palulanguru kuultitji kutjarrangku kulinu kuula manta kutjupangka tjunkuntjaku. Palulanguru paluru kutjarrangku palyanu yunta tina tjitipayinatjarra watiyangka yila pipirri tjuta nyinarra piipa wakanytjaku kamu riitarrinytjaku. Kutjupa tjutaya tjarrpangi kuula wiimangka. Kuultitji tjuta waala palula ngarripayi. Palulanguru Paaparanya warrkarringu kuulangka nganana tjungu warrkarringu yuntangka Walypala kutjupa tjutatarra warrkarripayi kuula yirrititjala tjana tjukutjuku nyinangu ngaangka, wiya tjana rawa nyinangu tjana kulinu, 'waala wiya ngaatja'. Palulanguru kuula wiya nyinangu, nganana rawa patalpayi kuulaku.

The old wind-break, Kintore school as it was.
Kuula yun kiya yunta yirrititja.

Wati tjutangku kuula kutjupanya palyanu ruma wiimatjarra yuntangka yila kamu kapingka yila. Pipirri tjuta kuula palulakutu ngalya ankupayi. Tjana rawa tjarrpapayi kuula yirrititjala. Palulanguru kuulangka wiyalpi tjarrpapayi pipirri tjuta walypala wiyangka tjana ngurrangka nyinapayi. Tjana tjulpuku yankupayi puraku kampurarrpaku. Rawa nganana nyinangu warrka wiya kamu kuula wiya. Yilta tjana rawa nyinangu kuula wiya. Tjana nyinapayi nyinapayi rawalingku tjana patalpayi kuulaku.

Kuula Nyuwananya

Walypala tjuta warrkaku ngalyanu tjana yayina tjuta ngatira tjunu mantangka kuula nyuwanaku.Tjana rawa palyanu wantingu kuwarripa. Tjintu kutjupangka taraka tinalpi ngalya yanu kuulatjarra tjana tjunu yayjnangka katu. Rawa tjana warrkarringu kuula nyuwanaku tjana kuwarripangku palyanangi. Walypala kutjupa tjutangku kuultitjjku ngurra palyanu kanya kutjupa tjutangku kuula nyuwananya palyara wiyanu. Kuula nyuwananya wjyarringutjangka walypala tjutangku piipa tjuta mantjinangi kuula yjrrititjala tjana ngalya katirra tjunkupayi kuula nyuwanala. PaIulanguru pipirri tjutalpi kuula nyuwanaIa tjarrpanyj tjananya kanyilpayi.

Yurrunpa ruma tina kutjarrangarangu pipirri tjuta tjarrpanytjaku tjananya kanyjlpayi ula kamu kungka ruma kutjungka. Yurrunpa kuula nyuwananya ngarangu warrikunuwiya. Pipirri tjuta kuulangka tjarrparra yankupayi ngurrakutu. Kuwarri kuula nyuwanangka pipirri tjutalingku tjarrpanyi. Kuula nyuwanala yanangu katukutupala warrkarrinyi kamu walypala mankurrpa nganana tjungu warrkarrinyi pukulpa kuula nyuwana. Kuwarri kuula tina kutjarra ngaranyi wiima tjutaku kamu tina tjutaku. Pipirri tjuta kuulangka tjarrparra yankupayi ngurrakutu nyinanytjaku wiyangka tjana katipayi puraku, kampurarrpapaku mutukayingka. Kuwarri pipirri nganampa tjuta tjarrpanyi kuula nyuwanala.

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Many years ago the Pintupi people used to stay at Papunya. Then they shifted to Lampara and stayed there for a long time and then to Yayayi (Kakali Bore). Then they moved right back to Papunya. The men had a meeting about coming back to their own country (Kintore) because they had stayed at Papunya for too long.

Then they asked for a big truck to take the people (with their swags and dogs) to Walungurru (Kintore). The next day they went in the truck to their own country. They stayed for a long time here with no houses. They built their own humpies. Some people used to live at Ngutjul (outstation) and came to Kintore to buy food, meat and bread. Having got those things, they used to go back home (to Ngutjul).

Then they built seven tin houses with only one small room. They used to get water from the hand pump. Then there was a meeting and one whitefella was talking to us and asking about getting our own school. We said that we are happy to have a school here for our children to learn to read and write.

In 1982 we started working under one big tree with the kids. All the children would come to school early in the morning, and when they finished their writing, they used to put it away in an empty cardboard box. They used to really listen then, and help put the paper away in the aftcmoon.

Then they decided to put another school near the big tree. They put a big shelter near the tree so the little kids could work in the shade out of the wind. The big kids worked in a small shed nearby. The school teachers used to camp in that same shed. We all worked together in that sheltcr. Other whitefellas used to work at the old school. They only worked for a short time. They were thinking, "there aren't any houses here".

Some men built a new school with one smal1 room near the windbreak and taps. All the kids came to that old school all the time. Then the kids stopped coming because there were no teachers. They used to go chasing birds and getting bush tucker. We stopped working at that school. True, they didn't have any school for a long time. They sat and sat and waited for school to start.

New School

The whitefellas first came and dug holes and put iron bars for the new school and then left it and went away. After a few days a big truck came with the new school.

They put the new school on top of the iron bars. They kept working for a long time. They made new houses for the school teachers after they finished the school. When the school was finished, the new teachers went to get books from the old school. Then they were ready for the kids to come and to begin teaching.

We had boys and girls together in one classroom and all the little kids in the other class- room. To begin with, the new school had no air-conditioners. The kids would go home early and not come back after lunch. Now, in the new school, all the children are coming to school. In the new school there are six Aboriginal teachers and three whitefellas working happily together. Now all our kids are coming to the new school.

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