The Governor of Victoria, the Honourable Linda Dessau AC, invited Grimwade House students to celebrate the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival with her at Government House in September this year.
We believe students of Grimwade House were invited because of the strength and quality of our Chinese language programme.
Students from a small number of primary schools were formally welcomed by the Governor during which she spoke about her connections to the Chinese culture, having lived in Hong Kong for some time. Ms Dessau also spoke individually to students as they were creating their own paper lantern, which they paraded around the Fountain Court of Government House at dusk, as young Chinese children do during the Festival.
Twenty Year 5 students, determined on a ‘first come, first served’ basis, attended the event together with the four Year 6 students who form the Chinese Service team at Grimwade House.
“Before I went I didn’t know much about the Governor,” says Year 5 student Tom Feeney. “She told us that she wanted to help represent the Chinese culture in Australia.”
“It was really special to meet the Governor,” says fellow student Miranda Glenane. “Just eating moon cake for the first time was good. I like doing new things. I’d like to go back again so I can take more in next time.”
For Ms Rebecca Hickman, Head of Chinese at Grimwade House, it was a good opportunity to further promote the intercultural awareness component of the Chinese curriculum. “The Chinese language does not sit in isolation of its rich culture,” she explains. “We try to show the links between language and culture in the classroom every day. Plus meeting the Governor was a once in a lifetime occurrence for the students. Together, these experiences gave students a broader understanding of their place in the world.”
“I think that learning different languages can take you places. It gives you new thoughts about the world,” adds Tom.
Other Year 5 students had an opportunity to have a similar experience through a Chinese Lantern incursion organised by the Chinese Museum held later in the year.
