Yirara College

Yirara College of the Finke River Mission is a boarding school for Indigenous students twelve years and older from remote communities in the Northern Territory and across the Territory border from South Australia, Western Australia and Queensland. Yirara operates under the auspices of Finke River Mission which is the mission arm of the Lutheran Church of Central Australia.

Finke River Mission has a long and positive history with the Aboriginal people of Central Australia and has contributed to the success of the College and the confidence the parents show in choosing it as a Christian environment in which their children can attend school.

Yirara is located 7km south of Alice Springs on the Stuart Highway. The site covers 32 hectares and includes school buildings, dormitories for students, sporting facilities, staff accommodation and camping areas. Alice Springs is a regional center of 25 000 people. It is nestled in the picturesque MacDonnell Ranges. The town offers a wide variety of shops and services, and excellent sporting and recreational facilities.

Yirara College welcomes you to our website. We are a secondary Lutheran Boarding College for Aboriginal students from Central and remote areas of Australia. At Yirara, Christ is central to all we do. We are committed to offering learning opportunities and experiences in a Christian environment enabling our students to develop their skills and abilities, to prepare them for a meaningful and successful life.

At Yirara College we are passionate about providing an education that encourages, challenges and inspires each student to learn about the world in which they live. We are determined to continually develop our facilities and resources to give students a range of rich experiences, and to make our College a wonderful place for students to live in, to interact with each other and to learn.

Above all, it is my prayer that each member of the Yirara College community will grow in the knowledge and understanding of God’s grace, rest in the hope we have in Jesus and live and work together as a community of faith and love, to honour and serve Him in all that we do and say. Yirara College, a culturally diverse community, strives to develop living skills, worldviews and Christian faith, enabling people to respect and live out their spiritual and cultural identities. Guiding Principles

• That all programs, activities and relationships be informed by the gospel of Jesus Christ.
• That Christian staff are critical in modelling lifestyles based on the gospel of Jesus Christ.
• That the gifts of love, forgiveness and salvation through Jesus Christ transcend all cultural barriers.
• That the core message of Christ’s sacrifice and our salvation through him be the basis of students’ spiritual development and that scriptural truths not be confused with cultural norms.
• That the College work to support Aboriginal Christian communities by developing Christian knowledge and skills which prepare students for active Christian lives.