I M P A C C T - Cornish College students in Timor-Leste

Cornish College Fun Run/Walk

Fundraiser for the Fatuquero School in Timor-Leste - next visit with students in July 2027.

Enjoy a wonderful circuit of our 100 acres of Bunurong Boon Wurrong wetland and bushland, whilst raising money for sponsorship of students and for teacher salaries to run the English Language Club, in our partner school.

When: Sunday 3 May, 9.00am
Where: Vicki Steer Green, Cornish College
Run: 3km/6km
Walk: 3km
Family entry: $25
Single entry: $10

Book here https://events.humanitix.com/cornish-college-fun-run-walk

Coffee van onsite, BBQ, lolly bags, lots of ways to raise money for our partner school in beautiful Timor-Leste.

If you'd like to volunteer to help on the morning, please let us know - you'll need a WWCC. Otherwise, come and have a walk!

Day 11 Report 📝

We are reporting live from Darwin airport ✈️

Our anchor word of the day is belonging.

For one final time we woke up early to start our day. With bags packed and loaded into the Pink Paradise bus we began our final day in Timor. This was a bittersweet feeling for our team with many mixed emotions. We are all sad to be leaving a place that has shared so much with us but equally as excited to see families and loved ones back in Melbourne.

Our first stop was breakfast. This was the last meal we all shared together as Emmy was flying off early to meet her family in Bali. At breakfast we surprised our wonderful Rev Claire for her birthday. We had been secretly planning to surprise her at breakfast with a gold birthday sash (which she has not taken off all day) and a small gift. We are very grateful for her time spent planning the trip, supporting us day to day and sharing her birthday with us.

We left breakfast, bellies full and drove up the mountain to the Dare Memorial. The memorial was built as a gift to the Timorese people in gratitude for their support of the Australian soldiers during the Second World War. It is also a memorial to the 2/2nd Independent Company who fought in the area. The original memorial was built to provide a rest stop for the local people and included a pool and water supply. We watched a video that gave a brief but moving reccount of the relationships between Timorese and Australian soldiers. Despite Australia having a complicated relationship in our support of the Timorese people in the past, this opportunity highlighted that for the future we need to continue to build more positive relationships.

Departing the museum we said goodbye to our dear Emmy who left for the airport under the watchful guidance of Rev and Julio our guide. The rest of us drove to Cristo Rei. Several of us hiked up, past the stations of the cross to the very top. Many photos were taken of the view and the statue itself before descending and taking off to lunch.

Later we joined up with Rev at the airport. Tim met an old friend who wished him safe travels and handed him a wonderful gift for him and his beautiful wife Mandy (who went on the last IMPACCT journey). Then we had to say goodbye to our driver Abetto and guide Julio. We are grateful for Abetto's expert driving skills, eagerness to practice his English with us and his energetic personality. Saying goodbye to our guide Julio was very hard. He is a very experienced tour guide, translator and most of all friend. Julio is a proud Timorese man with an inspiring past and an ever more inspiring vision for the future of his country. We are better for having him guide us through our journey during our time in this beautiful country. After exchanging our gifts of a Cornish College tais and pin, we waved goodbye until the next time we meet.

A short plane ride had us arriving in Darwin shortly after 5:30pm. With a flight at 12:30am we had plenty of time to kill with showers, card games, magic tricks (thanks Joao), paper plane making and more card games. Take away pizza was on the menu tonight with this meal being shared next to the check in bench.

For our final debrief we reflected on our anchor words of the trip: resilience, gratitude, forgiveness, diversity and belonging. Students were generous in sharing with the group their reflections and the special moments they are grateful for. This was possibly one of my favorite moments on the trip. This trip has been one of growth, resilience and connection and our staff are very proud of these wonderful young people.

We know that they will be excited to share their memories with all of you in time and we hope that this page has been an insight into the IMPACCT we can all make together for a better future for all.

"The future is for everyone."

Thanks for reading⭐

Updates:
• Emmy is safe and sound in Bali. We wish her safe travels!
• Our flight is VA1456 Darwin to Melbourne. Slight delay at Darwin airport. We will be posting here when we arrive to give to inform you of a more accurate pick up time.

Thanks,
Jess, Tim and Claire

Day 10 Report 📝

Our last full day in Timor 🇹🇱

Another early start for the group this morning to travel back to Dili. We traveled over many unsealed roads so the journey was quite bumpy but nothing that some music and car karaoke couldn't fix. One of the stops to stretch our legs was at Abeto, our driver's house. He introduced us to his wife and showed us home and his various pigs, geese and newborn puppy litter very proudly. Our second stop was at the Portuguese fort. This seaside stop was ideal for stretching our legs, purchasing items from local vendors or sitting and listening to the waves crash.

We arrived for lunch back in Dili at Castaway's. This was the same spot where we shared dinner the first night. It was evident in these shared meal times that these young people have bonded and are much closer than that first night. Sitting next to new friends, sharing memories from the past 10 days and playing... you guessed it more games.

Next stop on the agenda was the tais market. This was the one big opportunity for students to engage with local crafts people and purchase tais and small gifts. This area was overflowing with colour and based on the lack of photos that were taken the students were very busy at the market.

Shortly after we arrived at Kor Timor. This company creates various gifts and homewares out of tais. They showed us around their shop and workshop and gave us some insight into their business. We are very grateful to have seen another side of this area of arts. They also have a shop in Kew for anyone wanting to support Timor from back at home.

We were lucky enough to have been invited to share a dinner at a friend of Tim's, her name was Lina. She and her family welcomed us to their home where she shared the story of her life. She worked hard at school and landed a job with the UN in 2010 and after her first child she and her husband moved to the UK. Her story was insightful and inspiring. We are grateful for these experiences to meet people and her their stories. The students asked some questions and after dinner we played with her young daughters and nieces. Thank you to Tim for organizing this dinner and thank you to Lina for her hospitality.

The night concluded with a speedy debrief and information for our final day in Timor. The students had an early night to pack, shower and get to sleep for a big day tomorrow.

More updates to follow ⭐

Day 9 Report 📝

Bondia. Our word for the day was diversity.

Waking up in Maliana we were greeted with a glowing sunrise over the terrace. After finishing breakfast we made our way to Balibo for a guided walking tour. This walking tour company had employees who have been trained by our guide Julio. He has done this to give back to the community in Balibo so that the stories from this area can be shared with many visitors. This tour company took us around Balibo visiting sites including Balibo Fort House, the Balibo Veterans Museum, the Flag house, a local market, the sacred tree and the site of the murder of the Balibo 5. This tour was insightful and painted a greater picture of the significance of the Balibo 5 in bringing awareness to the struggles of Timorese under Indonesian rule.

We shared lunch together at the Balibo Fort House, which overlooked the mountains and sea. The vista, once used as a lookout and base for military operations in WW2 as well as Portuguese and Indonesian army bases, has now been converted into a tourist destination for those wanting to reconnect to the history.

Our final location for our tour was a waterfall. The unsealed roads made for a bumpy ride but with Abetto and Julio behind the wheel we were in safe hands. The walk to the waterfall was 30 minutes return and followed a flowing stream and lush foliage. Arriving at the waterfall we snapped some photos and rested listening to the calm trickle of the water flowing by. Some local children from the village also joined us for the adventure. Overcoming our temptation to dip our toes in, we walked back up to the bus.

The day ended with dinner at a local restaurant and many card games. Once back at our accomodation we had our debrief of the day that was, we shared our Terrific Timor Moments and reflections on diversity followed by more card games. We packed our bags before heading to bed as we will get on the road early to get back to Dili.

More updates to follow ⭐

Day 8 Report 📝

Yesterday we left our accommodation in Gleno and began our travel day to Maliana. The journey was around 6 hours in duration with some stops of breaks and lunch. The first leg has us leaving the mountain town of Gleno and driving towards the coast. The beautiful scenery made for a calm and peaceful drive.

We stopped at Aipelo Prison (Museu Prisão Aipelo) which once was a Portuguese prison. Our guide for this tour was Pedro. He passed on stories of guerilla fighters during independence and his connection to the prison as a past convict during this time. Pedro shared that he wishes for a peaceful future for all and that it is for the next generation to write the next chapters for the future of their children's children.

Shortly after the visit to the prison we arrived at Lauhata Beach for a seaside lunch. This was peaceful lunch filled with games, music and delicious meals after a long morning on the road.

The second half of our journey was equally as picturesque but the unsealed roads made for a rather bumpy ride. Despite this there was no shortage of songs to sing along to on the bus and in the ute.

Our final stop was at the Indonesian border. We were able to walk to the border and have one foot in each country. A very special experience and now the students can say that they have been to Indonesia. This was followed by a cold drink or ice cream before our final push to reach Maliana.

After arriving in Maliana we settled into our accomodations for the next 2 nights. Students were even able to have a warm shower which was a luxury. We thank our guide Julio for his planning and organisation as well as our driver Abetto for his skillful driving abilities.

For dinner we were joined by one of Tim's friend's, Minda who he first met at English Club in Hatolia many years ago. She has almost completed her 7 year University degree to become a doctor. This was a lovely moment for Tim to reconnect with old friends and for our students to get to know her and a bit about her story and dreams for the future.

As always, with our night ended with a debrief then into some card games before heading to bed. This travel day was very long and the sleep in this morning was well deserved.

More updates to follow ⭐

Day 7 Report 📝

Our word for our final day in Gleno and Fatequero is reflection.

Friday's schedule was jam packed so students had a sleep in to recharge their batteries. Yesterday was a public holiday with no classes running on the school schedule. Despite this, we planned to run games and activities for any students wanting to partake on their day off. As the bus pulled up to the school over 200 students eagerly awaited to see our students and to join in on some fun activities together. The morning was filled with origami, dancing such as the Nutbush (of course) and macarena and various ball games. Everywhere you looked there were smiling faces and laughter as the students of all ages joined in on the fun. The Director of Fatequero thanked Cornish College for their contribution to the school and for our visit. We are grateful for his support to continue this partnership into the future.

For lunch we arrived at Cornelio's house for the final time. His wife and family cooked a wonderful meal for us all to share and we recalled our favorite memories from the morning. One of Cornelio's daughters was celebrating her birthday which was sung in English as we are all still working on our Tetun. Lunch concluded with parting gifts of tais (pronounced t-ice) for our teachers and a small handmade gift from his daughters.

Our next stop was at the house of a local weaver. For the past few years Cornish College has been purchasing the tais that are a gift to our Year 12's when hey are inducted at the start of the final year of school. These tais are each handmade and are one of a kind and represent not only the unique journey each student in Year 12 will have but our relationship with Timor. Charlie, Joao, Sonny, Maddie, Emmy and Phoebe have all received a tais at their respective induction ceremonies and reflected that seeing the weavers layer thread by thread made this gift even more special. Each tais takes 2-4 days for one person to create one. We are proud that we support these small families businesses in Fatequero directly.

We arrived back at Fatequero school we met the scholarship students. This opportunity gave our students to meet these young people to discuss their further pathways and currently educational journeys. We wish these young people the best for their fixture academic pursuits and are so proud to have supporting them and their future.

For one last time we met for English Club with our buddies, this time at Fatequero school. After three days of incredible growth, the final lesson was a testament to how far everyone had come. Our students, now adept at bridging communication gaps with patience and creativity with the Fatequero students, once shy, participated with an inspiring enthusiasm and confident. For all involved, it was truly rewarding to witness the powerful mutual learning that had taken place.

At the conclusion of English Club we had to say goodbye. It was a bittersweet moment, filled with gratiutude and sadness. Hugs, tears, smiles and promises to keep up their English skills were shared as our students exchanged heartfelt farewells with their buddies. We left Fatequero school not just with memories of lessons taught and learned, but with the hope that these newfound friendships and the hope that our short time has made a difference. These memories will stay with our students long after we depart.

*insert ice cream break for emotional support after our goodbyes🍦💓*

We shared our final dinner with our host from Fatequero and her daughters. We promised them on Thursday we would sing for them for our final dinner. With Sonny on the guitar we sang 'Riptide' by Vance Joy and might I say I think we did quite well. We all came together at the end to sing 'Oh Timor' (videos will be posted soon). Leaving the restaurant the rain started to pour down, which may be a sign not to leave and to stay longer...

Our debrief tonight was very needed after our emotional day and we ended the night with lots of giggles and stories from our day.

The students are missing all of the families dearly and want to pass on "Bonidia" which means - good morning - for when you read this on your Saturday morning!

More updates to follow⭐

Day 6 Report 📝

Our word of the day was forgiveness.

Thursday kicked off with an early morning wake-up, getting us to the market across the road just in time to meet our buddies. At the market, students teamed up with their buddies for a scavenger hunt, searching for items that spelled out "Fatequero." The market was vibrant, loud, and buzzing with energy, which both our students and their buddies thoroughly enjoyed. Some even bought matching bracelets as a memento of their time together.

After leaving the market, we walked back towards Fatiguero, strolling through the small town of Gleno. This walk gave our students valuable time to bond with their buddies outside of the classroom. In these moments, it became clear how special these connections have become in such a short time. Being open and excited to learn each other's languages, all students have overcome the communication gap leading to these incredibly strong bonds.

Once back at school, classes for the day begun and we jumped straight into class mode. By now, our students' confidence had grown immensely, and it was evident by the way they took charge of their lessons. They were no longer hesitant to lead activities, correct punctuation, or explain concepts in English. Many students have been practicing the Tetan translations to support the comprehension of stories and sentences. This often comes with some dramatic animal noises, facial expressions or acting out the scene from a book. Their students were engaged, excited and together it made for a productive classroom for all. In these moments we as a team are very proud of how well our students have stepped up to this role, demonstrating a remarkable comfort level in their teaching roles.

During this time Rev Claire met with the new director of Fatequero, Aureliano. This was a wonderful meeting to discuss the future of our partnership with Cornish and Fatequero for the good of the students and for the long now. He was presented with a Cornish pin and tais.

In the afternoon students spent time with their English language buddies back down at Gleno. Both the Cornish and Fatequero students who are a part of the program were well settled and ready to work by the time we arrived. The room was filled with focused energy and lively conversation as groups collaborated on various English exercises and activities.

One observation we have made as staff has been how wonderful all our Cornish students have been getting along. Despite planning through the lead up, these students had little day to day interactions together at school. Now they are a team. Through card games, bus ride, team teaching and living under the same roof they have become a tight knit group. This has been of benefit in the classroom as supporting each other and sharing experiences had truly formed them into a strong team, which is fantastic to witness. We hope these bonds continue to folourish.

After school we all had a sweet treat from the local supermarket, rested and left for dinner. At dinner our hosts daughters played us songs and sung together. This was a beautiful end to the night and we have been invited to sing tonight so there is much practice to do today to prepare. The night ended with a debrief, games, journalling and some cards written to their buddies in Tetun.

More updates to follow ⭐