Archive - Thursday, 9 May 2002


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Team report on 'Oz' adventure

BARRY pupils who visited the other side of the world shared their experiences in a special assembly.

The Gladstone Primary School members set off for Upway Primary School in Victoria in October last year. This followed a visit from the children 'down under' in 1999, and took over a year to plan and raise the funds.

They came home three weeks later with new memories, new experiences and more importantly, new friends.

The delegation of pupils was chosen after months of selection. They had to show they could communicate, interact and be a confident member of a team.

The decision was a hard one, but finally, Jack Lloyd-Selby, Jessica Walton, Kayne McLaggon, Rebecca Mitten, Samantha Evans, Alice Harding and Joshua Dymond were told they were the lucky seven. They were accompanied by teachers Shaun O'Connel and Kirsty Hamilton

A spectacular show was given of their three-week trip in the school hall on May 2 at 9am. Attending the presentation was Assembly Member Jane Hutt, Cllr Maurice Nugent, Sandra Goodchap of Dow Chemicals and Deputy Mayor Dennis Tooze.

The children spoke of their nerves setting off for the mammoth journey, and of leaving their parents for so long. But the excitement of going to Australia soon took their minds off every worry.

When they arrived at the airport, they were met by their hosts. For their part, the pupils of Upway School had gone through an equally long selection process to find the perfect hosts for the travellers.

The Australian families made them feel part of the family as soon as they arrived, stopping any homesickness before it even started.

Following their visit, the school put together a book with photographs, memories and drawings from their trip as a physical reminder of the event.