Defence Family Information Form
Our Defence Transition Mentor is Maria Thorbjornsen – maria.thorbjornsen@nt.catholic.edu.au
The purpose of collecting the following information is so that communications can be easily shared between the Defence Transition Mentor (DTM) and your Defence Family. As DTM, it is extremely helpful to know of any current/impending deployments, exercises or courses that may impact upon your child/children while they are at school. Please keep Operational Security in mind when completing this form. All information provided by you is voluntary. It will be treated in accordance with the College’s Privacy Policy.
For more information on enrolment, call (08) 8930 5713 or go to our enrolment page.
The Inspiring Military Heritage of Our Location
The buildings of MacKillop only thinly veil the deeper history of the site on which our College is built. An area of sacred significance to the Larrakia people since time immemorial, the undulating landscape of the site, standing conspicuously amid its flat surroundings, has always been destined to be a place of special importance. It was these geographical characteristics which later led to the selection of the site as the 16 Mile Camp, the first of the “Mile” camps, in WW2.
During the war, the vantage of the hills provided an ideal defensive location from which Australian and American soldiers, living under harsh frontier conditions at a time when the region was beyond the fringes of civilisation, dug in around the ancient ridges which had inadvertently found themselves part of Australia’s front line of defence against the Zeros and bombers of the Imperial Japanese Air Force.
The College motto, ‘Lead with Courage’, echoes the spirit of those who occupied the site before us. Through study of this history, MacKillop students gain a deeper understanding of what it takes to overcome adversity, and the importance of teamwork, and making a stand for what is right. This links seamlessly with Mary MacKillop’s famous quote; “Never see a need without doing something about it”.
More information on the 16 Mile Camp and other aspects of our College’s Heritage can be found here.
