11 November 2019
We have students from as far afield as Europe, Asia, Canada, America and Réunion Island, not to mention far-reaching locations within Australia and remote or semi-rural locations in South Australia.
Pembroke boarders are connected on a global level whether they reside overseas or within Australia. Several students within our cohort have been on School trips such as to Nepal or Cambodia. Others have been on Language trips and student exchanges, and many take the opportunity in the holidays or after Year 12 to visit each other in their home cities or towns.
Many of our country boarders who live on farms or on outback stations love the opportunity to share their farming heritage, and our Indigenous boarders impart a deep and ongoing affinity for their people and culture. These days everyone is connected in an instant on social media and students within the Pembroke boarding network communicate on a level that truly transcends distance and cultures.
Emely and Franziska, both from Germany, have shared many stories of life in their home towns of Saarbrücken and Hamburg. They have talked about the winter snow at Christmas time, the differences in cuisine and the vagaries of the Australian school day compared with Germany.
Natasha from Canada has also shared many tales, not just about her home province of Alberta but also about her international travels with her parents who have worked for the UN. She has visited Bali, London, Lebanon, Vienna and America. Natasha has skills in speaking Arabic and French. In Term 2 a group of boarders went on an overnight trip to Old Watulunga and loved having Natasha teach them how to make s’mores over the bonfire.
Major reasons to visit Australia have been to enhance their English while living away from home and to make new friends, areas they have mastered on all counts.
We have a strong connection with the Asia–Pacific region and have several boarding students from Hong Kong, Singapore and China. Cathy, Grace and Natalie can often be found in the Turner House kitchen, cooking and sharing traditional meals and demonstrating to their peers how to make various noodle dishes, which have become a house favourite.
Lou-Ann is from French-governed Réunion Island. Situated east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean, the island is rich in culture and diversity as the population is predominately African, European, Indian and Chinese. It is known for its volcanoes, rainforest interior, coral reefs and beaches. Lou-Ann has chosen to come to Adelaide to also improve her English while gaining an excellent education that will hold her in good stead to study anywhere in the world.
Another adventurous boarder is Grace who has embarked on a 5-month sailing journey aboard a tall ship that set sail last month from the Netherlands. Grace will learn to crew the ship and, with her classmates, sail around Europe, through the Mediterranean, across the North Atlantic and on to Africa, the Bahamas, the Caribbean and South America. We are keeping track of her journey via the ship’s website www.classafloat.com and are very inspired by her adventurous and courageous spirit.
Our Indigenous girls from the Northern Territory generously share their knowledge of their connection to Country through art, song, dance and family; and our girls from pastoral properties, country towns and remote rural locations enjoy talking about their love for their communities, the land, their animals, the oceans and the sky.
Regardless of where each student comes from, whether near or far, Pembroke boarders develop a strong connection with each other by accepting differences and finding a common ground. The love that is shared and shown is deep and profound. They are all the better for having the world come to them in so many ways. The world truly is their oyster.
Libby Twigden
Head of Turner Boarding House