The Australian Connection

The Lawley Affair

This has been a happening year where foreign counterparts are concerned. Last week the Lawleylians made a second trip to SMK Seafield after 2009 for another round of cultural and language exchange.

Teacher Jane in the pic accompanied the students together with two other colleagues James and Alison to the school.

A photo for school record and memory. Teacher James teach the Chinese Language and also Bahasa Indonesia to the students of Lawley High School, Perth. A couple of them could understand the lingo pretty well as I was informed that they were brought up in Bali. Others know the language pretty little and they have a long way to go. Maybe SMK Seafield will be an ideal partner to part the language to them.




The teachers were impressed at the way the school is run. They were surprised at the stamina and passion the teachers and parents have for the many programmes especially the Carnival when so much money was raised for good causes such as the building of the beautiful toilet and another co curricular center. Back home they need not have such drive to raise funds. Learning something from us too...

Teacher Jane runs the Art Department of the school and she wanted a glimpse of the Art Studio. She too took pains to run through the many projects and works of the children.

The students though on the quiet side, took some keen interest in the paintings.

Perhaps they were most entertained and taught by the Librarians of the school. They saw how the librarians made entries for stock checking, classified books and dispense their duties so professionally. They admit that they do not have a system like what we have here. We teach the librarians responsibility and skills to run the show themselves.

Next they were given a try on the local costumes to which they were highly excited...they do look good !

Oh the boys were given a treat to the Sepak Takraw game. It was alien to them and it took a toll on them...

So they asked for futsal... they were familiar.

The Williamstone Junior and Senior High School of Melbourne Affair.

Last June we also saw another Australian group; this time from Melbourne. This was a more boisterous group and larger in size. They too came to learn more about the culture and the Malay Language. It is surprising that the Malay and Indonesian Languages are gaining grounds in Australia.

They love the Sepak Takraw. Somehow they are familiar with the game and were gungho at it. They played hard and well giving their local counterparts a good fight.

They too were given treats... wearing local costumes and getting all the attention and fun.

So it was a privilege to meet the Australians; a group from the West and another from the South-East of the continent. It is good to have such cultural exchanges as it removes some boredom and the daily mundane pattern . Also we would like to be a contributing factor to some of their foreign language programme especially the Malay Language.

More to come in the future.