Partnership Stories

See what our Asia Literacy Ambassadors and their schools have been up to recently:

A perfect match

Ambassador:
Craig Proctor

Partnering school:
Dominic College

Sonia O’Leary, languages teacher at Dominic College in Tasmania, wanted a living and breathing example of someone who uses a second language in their workplace. Craig Proctor, Fisheries Scientist at the CSIRO demonstrated to students how his interest in Indonesian language has led to opportunities opening up at work.

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Sonia O’Leary, languages teacher

'I wanted to get someone who is living and breathing a second language in their workplace.  Craig fitted the bill perfectly.'

Ambassador with two complementary roles

Ambassador:
Christian Bennett

Partnering school:
Le Fevre High School

Asia Literacy Ambassador, Christian Bennett, from Santos Ltd has briefed teachers, spoken at the school’s Harmony Day celebrations, and hosted as visit to his workplace in the partnership with Le Fevre High School in South Australia. Through his advocacy for Asia literacy he has opened everyone’s eyes to where their Indonesian and Asia literacy can take them.

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Christian Bennett, Santos Ltd

'There is a real risk that Australia will miss out economically if we stop investing in Asian language and literacy teaching.'

Students intrigued and amused

Ambassador:
Karen Buckman

Partnering school:
Lorne-Aireys Inlet P-12 College

Tony Turnbull, teacher of Indonesian at Lorne-Aireys Inlet P-12 College in Victoria, had been looking for ways of extending Asia literacy in the school. Through the Asia Literacy Ambassadors project the school was matched with Karen Buckman from PricewaterhouseCoopers.  By sharing her story Karen has helped the students realise that there are opportunities that will come to you if you are Asia literate.

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Karen Buckman, PriceWaterhouseCoopers

'There is one price for locals, one price for foreigners who speak Indonesian, and a third price for foreigners – how much you pay is about the way you are perceived by the traders.'

 

Ambassadors program makes waves

Ambassador:
Milton Brown

Partnering school:
Albion Park High School

The Asia Literacy Ambassador program has worked well for both Milton Brown from SurfAid International and the students and teachers of Indonesian and Japanese at Albion Park High School in New South Wales.  It’s a textbook case of like-minded people getting together to achieve the goal of building the next generation of Asia-literate Australians.
 

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Edward Kent, Japanese teacher

'We are trying to integrate Asia literacy into the school and it currently has a very high profile…  This is a great program for all schools.  I do suggest that schools do get involved.'

Asia literacy and much, much more

Ambassador:
Claire Hanson

Partnering school:
Albany Senior High School

Dave Marshall of Albany Senior High School in Western Australia had a specific goal in mind for the Asia Literacy Ambassador program. The school was linked with local media professional and highly regarded magazine editor, Claire Hanson.  Claire shared her experiences as editor in Singapore and her industry expertise with a group of Year 12 media students who wish to continue their studies at university.

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Dave Marshall, teacher

'Claire instilled in the students a sense of urgency, the need to prioritise, and the importance of being very precise in how you target your audience.'

We’re all part of a bigger world

Ambassador:
Robert Pica

Partnering school:
Bendigo South East Secondary College

The partnership between Bendigo South East Secondary College in Victoria and Robert Pica achieved its aims. Indonesian teacher Beverly Harvey felt that Robert was a very good match for her students as he was able to convince them of the importance of learning an Asian language.
 

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Robert Pica, WorkSafe Victoria

'Don’t be fooled by negative stereotypes.  Be a bit wiser, a bit more understanding.'

It’s not just learning the language

Ambassador:
Amanda Ralph

Partnering school:
St. Columba's College

Nathan Lane from St Columba’s College in Victoria is delighted with the way the Asia Literacy Ambassadors project has gone to date and wants to take it forward. The school’s Asia Literacy Ambassador, Amanda Ralph from the NAB, was very much an inspiration for the students.

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Nathan Lane, Japanese teacher

'I think projects like these are so important because normally it’s me who stands in front of the students and motivates them in their Japanese studies, but to hear from someone else who is not a teacher and has a different life story from mine is exceptionally motivational.'

A different dimension

Ambassador:
Lina Koleilat

Partnering school:
Nossal High School

Rohan Bramley, is the Japanese domain leader at the brand new Nossal High School in Victoria. He was delighted that Lina Koleilat, who has lived and studied in South Korea and Singapore, took on the role of Asia Literacy Ambassador for the school.

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Rohan Bramley, Japanese domain leader

'Staff felt it was worth making the time, even though it was the last week of term.'

Opening minds

Ambassador:
Elly Patterson

Partnering school:
Salesian College

Elly Patterson, Asialink’s director of communications, thoroughly enjoyed her time spent with students at Salesian College in Victoria and wished there was time to do more. Grace Latina, LOTE coordinator at the school believes that the project is a good idea, although not without it’s challenges.
 

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Elly Patterson, Director of Communications at Asialink

'I was able to give them new ideas and it was great to reinforce their confidence; to say, "if you know what you want to do, that’s fine.  If you don’t, there are many more opportunities out there than you have imagined".'

Small numbers, high achievement

Ambassador:
Melissa Morris

Partnering school:
Mount Scopus Memorial College

Head of LOTE Michie Bunn saw the Asia Literacy Ambassador project as a way of promoting the study of Japanese at Mount Scopus Memorial College. Melissa Morris of the Consulate-General of Japan office in Melbourne worked with the school toward this aim.

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Michie Bunn, Head of LOTE

'The students needed an incentive to study Japanese.'


 

Asia literacy in an Asian context

Ambassador:
Nathan Masters

Partnering school:
Cocos Islands District High School

The remote Cocos (Keeling) Islands, a tiny Australian territory comprising of 27 islands are located approximately 3000kms NW of Perth. Cocos (K) Islands District High School has staff working across two campuses and services the educational needs of the Cocos (K) Islands community.

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Trish Waters, Indonesian teacher

'Nathan’s visit really clarified why you need to have people who can speak other languages if you want to succeed in the modern world.'

Author and Asia advocate

Ambassador:
Simon Higgins

Partnering school:
The Southport School

Founded in 1901, The Southport School has nearly 1,400 students.  It provides prep to Year 12 classes for day students and boarders.  It is the only boys’ school and boarding school on the Gold Coast. 

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Simon Higgins, author

'I feel able to talk less about books and more about being a friend of Asia.'

Filmmaker's star performance

Ambassador:
Amy Frasca

Partnering school:
Macarthur Anglican School

Macarthur Anglican School is an independent, co-educational school, established in 1984 by an Ordinance of the Anglican Church in Australia.  It has 800 pupils, from pre-kindergarten to Year 12.

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Amy Frasca, Filmmaker

'We discussed how useful a language would be in any field they wanted to go into.  It’s a highly valued skill that would set them apart and would give so much back to their lives, not just their career.'

Introducing a different perspective

Ambassador:
Tania Paul

Partnering school:
Kormilda College

Tania Paul, a senior lecturer at Charles Darwin University NT was matched to Kormilda College as their Asia Literacy Ambassador. When she met with language teacher Kathryn Luscher it quickly became clear that these partners were not only conveniently located, but there was also a good match in terms of aims and ambitions.
 

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Tania Paul, Lecturer

'The students thought Bali was about satay sticks and surfing.  This was a real eye opener.'

Ballarat to Borneo: it’s not such a big leap

Ambassador:
Michelle Jarrett

Partnering school:
Loreto College

Loreto College in Ballarat is a Catholic secondary college for girls.  Founded in 1875, it is an independent school with approximately 800 pupils.



 

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Michelle Jarrett, PwC

'My personal experiences in Asia have made me adaptable – working with other PwC offices is no longer a huge cultural shock.'

Helping students make informed decisions

Ambassador:
Ross Ciaravolo

Partnering school:
Mount Waverley Secondary College

Mount Waverley Secondary College is a state secondary co-educational school with over 1800 students across two campuses, in the outer suburbs of Melbourne.
 

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Ross Ciaravolo, Trade and Investment expert

'It’s important to present the students with as much information as possible, and several different perspectives.'

Beyond the School Gate

Ambassador:
Stephanie Loh

Partnering school:
Whites Hill State College

Mark Laraghy hopes to position Whites Hill State College QLD as the school for parents who want their children to be equipped with the skills that will make them Asia aware and Asia literate

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Stephanie Loh, PwC

'It’s quite an ambitious program but it’s about saying to young people, 'when you think of jobs, don’t think just about the Brisbane River'.'