East Timor trip

East Timor trip a ‘life-changing experience’

Beaconhills College students and staff spent a life-changing week in September visiting our ‘friendship school’ in Hatolia, East Timor.

Year 9 Berwick Campus teacher, Tim Lake, said the eight Year 10 and 11 students were just as overwhelmed by the warm welcome from the Hatolia community as the first tour group which visited the school last year.

“This was my second visit and it was just as confronting, amazing, humbling, challenging, worthwhile and rich as the first,” Mr Lake said.

“For students, it challenges their perception about what a ‘tough life’ really is like.”

Since last year, the Hatolia school has used funds raised by Beaconhills to build a new administration centre and toilets, which our students helped officially open during the recent visit.

Mr Lake has also worked hard to help the school establish internet connection. The Beaconhills contingent presented staff with a lap-top computer, the result of fundraising efforts.

He said an internet connection would open up a new world to the East Timorese school and allow Beaconhills’ students to communicate via email.

“Up until now we have been communicating through SMS, which is expensive for them and it might take up to a week to get a reply,” Mr Lake said.

“The computer will also allow them to create a database for their school information.”

He said it was gratifying to learn on the trip that Beaconhills College had raised a total of $46,850 for the Hatolia school.

Berwick Campus VCE teacher Nick Zomer, who also accompanied the students, described the visit as amazing and inspirational. “The people of Hatolia gave us an experience you will never get anywhere else”.

The Hatolia school is in a remote area situated four hours’ drive from Dili. The school was badly damaged during the 1999 troubles, but is being rebuilt using money raised by Beaconhills College.

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