Students and teachers from Indonesia are immersing themselves in life at Dubbo this week as ideas and friendship flow between two communities.
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St Johns College is hosting guests from the Javan city of Cilegon this week as part of its continuing sister school exchange.
Four teachers and 17 students from two schools arrived on Monday and met the local families billeting them during their stay.
On Tuesday the students - aged between 12 and 17 years - asked Dubbo mayor Ben Shields questions during a visit to the council chambers.
College principal Kerry Morris said part of the exchange was also educational, so the students would attend class with their hosts on Wednesday.
English is a compulsory subject in Indonesia, she said.
Teachers would also be attending to look at curriculum and teaching strategies, she said.
The visitors will also see Old Dubbo Gaol, the city’s main street, St Brigid’s church and Taronga Western Plains Zoo.
A barbecue lunch at the zoo will introduce them to an Aussie custom.
The sister school arrangement began in 2011, initiated by engineer Nick Standish, whose career had taken him to the Indonesian region.
“He wanted to form a relationship with this beautiful community,” Mrs Morris said.
St Johns College is planning another visit to Cilegon sometime next year or the year after.
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Faye Wheeler
I have been a journalist for more than a decade and in that time I have been keeping Daily Liberal readers up to date about issues affecting them and what's happening in their community. Throughout my career I have covered a range of rounds and most recently I have been focusing on the business round.
I have been a journalist for more than a decade and in that time I have been keeping Daily Liberal readers up to date about issues affecting them and what's happening in their community. Throughout my career I have covered a range of rounds and most recently I have been focusing on the business round.
