La Salle Green Hills Cultural Exchange

Luca, Scott Vawser, Samuel Deed, Luke Brownhill, Paul Kony, Jacob McGaw, Oliver Milner, Darcy Roberts, David Kelly, Aidan Wood, Luke Torrisi and Max Tutty on another successful mission. Luke Torrisi gives a student perspective: Many of us were hesitant about what we might experience in a country like Papua New Guinea. However it turned out to be an incredible experience for all of us and one that changed us forever. With the help of Mr Tim Hogan, Brian, Murray and Peter we were able to renovate two classrooms, a science room and a toilet block. When the boys weren’t renovating rooms for De La Salle Bomana, we were swimming in the river, going to beautiful beaches, playing football with the locals, competing in the College’s athletics carnival and shopping in the local markets. Over the two weeks we bonded as a group and formed a strong sense of brotherhood with our De La Salle PNG brothers. Visiting the Kokoda trail opened our eyes to the relationship between Australia and the Papua New Guineans and the courage of those soldiers who fought there. On behalf of the boys I would like to thank Mr Hogan, Peter, Brian and Murray for taking us on this trip, and of course the hospitality of the people at De La Salle, Bomana. They made this trip an unforgettable experience.

La Salle Green Hills Cultural Exchange 2013

De La Salle students in Years 8, 9, 10 and 11 recently hosted fifteen students as part of a two-week exchange with one of our sister schools — La Salle Green Hills, in Manila. The Student Exchange Program between schools has proven to be an excellent opportunity for students to gain important insights into interpersonal relationships, varying value systems, differing world views and different social structures. This cultural and academic program heightens our students’ awareness of the works of Lasallian Institutions worldwide. The Green Hills boys experienced ‘A slice of life in Melbourne’, visiting the sights and landmarks of our town, as well as seeing wild kangaroos and dolphins on a trip to Jan Juc. They spent time in class with our own students and visited the Houses of Parliament as a guest of our local member, Michael O’Brien MLA. The students were accompanied by Br Manny fsc, Mrs Marie Santos and Mrs Cheryl Joaquin-Villneuva. A highlight of the visit for the boys was to be the families who looked after them. To quote one of the boys, “I felt so welcome by my host family — I was included in everything. Even though our cultures are different, I noticed how similar we all are. This may be because we are all Lasallian. We have so much more in common than any differences — and the differences make it so much more interesting. I can’t thank my Aussie family enough”. In 2014, there will be an opportunity for our own Year 9 and 10 (2014) students to travel to Manila for a two-week reciprocal exchange.

Mr David Happ Philippines Exchange Coordinator