Organised in collaboration with the Gosnells Chinese Association, Southern River College (SRC) has been visited by a group of five Chinese students.
The students from Nanchang City in Jiangxi Province, China, spent the day at the school, attending classes and mingling with their Australian peers, exchanging cultural insights.
Visits to the art, music rooms, and workshops provided an opportunity for both groups to learn about each other’s varied educational experiences and cultures.
As a gesture of appreciation, the visitors ran a workshop on traditional Chinese calligraphy, teaching SRC students how to create characters using traditional brushes and ink.
Lauren Hamilton, English and Mandarin teacher and coordinator of SRC’s Multicultural Committee, presented the international students with gift bags filled with iconic Australian treats like Tim-Tams, Anzac biscuits, Vegemite, and Bluey plushies, along with letters from SRC students.
Ms Hamilton hopes to see more global friendships like this at the school and said it was an astounding success for both the international and SRC students.
“The five students were treated like celebrities everywhere we went across the college, being invited to play volleyball at lunch, being asked questions about life as a student in China, and even asked for their numbers to keep in touch,” Ms Hamilton said
“Our SRC students were so excited to have international visitors and were keen to practise their Mandarin with them.”
A standout moment of the tour was said to be the visit to the Yarning Circle, where SRC Principal Heath Dullard provided an insightful discussion on Aboriginal culture and Australia’s history.
The Chinese students admired the mural painted by Indigenous Australian students and explored the school’s Bush Tucker Garden, filled with edible native Australian plants.
CEO of the Gosnells Chinese Association and City of Gosnells council member Emma Zhang said the collaboration aims to give students from China a genuine experience of Australian life.
“The students were thrilled to experience school life in Australia and told me it was the highlight of their trip. Some even made new friends and connected on WeChat. I truly hope these friendships will continue despite the distance,” Ms Zhang said.
“We believe that these collaborations enrich our educational environment and benefit both our students and the visiting students.”
“We are always looking for opportunities to expand our partnerships and create more such enriching experiences.”
Ms Zhang hopes to see Australian students to get the opportunity to travel to China.
“I believe this is a great beginning, and I hope that in the near future, we can bring more students to Australia. At the same time, we look forward to offering Australian students the opportunity to visit China as exchange students.”
