St Joseph’s College Year 12 student Tio Tirra from Kiribati shares a cross-cultural moment with his nation’s Commonwealth Games Association president, Birimaaka Tekanene, and his current principal, Vin Feeney.By Ed Merrison
ST JOSEPH’S College was last week blessed with a visit from the Commonwealth Games team of Kiribati.
Kiribati, a nation of 33 coral atolls near the Equator in the Pacific, had 16 participants in the Games, with the majority competing in table tennis and the rest in weightlifting, boxing and athletics.
The athletes spent the last day of their two-and-a-half week trip to Australia visiting the school and playing volleyball, basketball, badminton and table tennis.
St Joseph’s physical education teacher and cultural coordinator, Jason Ross, who has visited Kiribati seven times, also hoped to persuade the guests to have a kick of a footy during their visit.
Staff and students of St Joseph’s have been visiting Kiribati as part of a cross-cultural program for 12 years.
A small group of VCE students travel to the islands every year to spend three weeks between the capital, South Tarawa, and an outer island, Abemana.
“The students live with families, visit schools and teach when they’re over there.
“The islanders teach them how to fish, how to make mats and how to husk coconuts,” Mr Ross said.
In return, every two years, St Joseph’s interviews a student from Kiribati to take VCE at St Joseph’s, which provides a level of education sufficient to return as a teacher.
The current student, Tio Tirra, known as Joe to his friends, is currently sitting Year 12 and was pleased to be joined by his countrymen.
Mr Ross said family, faith and community were the most important things to Kiribati people.
“They’re very spiritual people. They’re shy at first, but very friendly, open and warm when they get used to you,” he said.
The athletes also spent a night in Mansfield, the nation’s adoptive host for the Commonwealth Games, and spent the rest of their leisure time going out for dinner and meeting people.
But if the low-lying coral atolls of the Pacific seem a foreign concept for a resident of Knox, coming to Melbourne in the frenzied throes of the Games was a culture shock for the Kiribati.
Table tennis player Allie Johnny said he thought Melbourne was very good, even if his subsequent observation seemed strange at first.
“Lots of people, cars, mountains,” he said.
“The tallest thing they see in Kiribati is a coconut tree,” Mr Ross explained.
