From our early years, Wilderness has always valued the importance of our relationships with each other and the importance of building a sense of belonging and connection to each other. We are privileged to live and learn with girls from around the world. Every member of our community brings an important part of their personal story into the collective experience of our Wilderness family.

This week we were fortunate to hear students from our SRC International Committee who shared insights into their cultural heritage and the traditions that have shaped them as young women.

Alice Jia and Fai Chan described the difference between the bustle and vibrancy of their hometowns in China and Hong Kong and their experience when settling into Adelaide.

Both shared their early observations and celebrated their journeys to become loyal Wildy girls.

“Wildy made me feel safe, which allowed me to become more involved in the School and the local community. I could adventurously capture opportunities that allowed me to pursue my passions.”

“Being in the International Committee where cultural diversity and inclusivity are encouraged, I feel safe and proud to introduce my Chinese culture heritage to others, and I feel that both my birth culture and my newly absorbed Australian culture can be present together and be a great mixture.” Alice Jia

“As I haven’t been home for a while, sometimes I start to forget the living habits that I used to have back in Hong Kong as I have started to become more and more comfortable with the style of living in Australia. However, during quiet moments, I reminisce about the streets filled with crowds, the city lights at night, and the bustling places full of activities.”

“It has developed my ideas and personality and I can truly understand this as I get to know people from different cultural backgrounds. I’m really happy to be able to share my city with everyone today and in the future, I hope we can understand more about each other and ourselves.” Fai Chan

Rosie Lioulios spoke about her Greek and Macedonian heritage and the family values passed down from generation to generation.

“I know that with hard work and determination you can achieve anything and when things get difficult, I remind myself to be grateful for all that I have and especially the values that I live by that are strongly linked to my culture and heritage.” Rosie Lioulios

The Wilderness community spirit was also present on Monday at the R U OK? Day picnic lunch organised by our SRC Executive. The girls spent the afternoon sharing activities to slow down. Immersed in mindful colouring and gratitude boards, the girls made time to check in with each other and were reminded that we need to be aware and willing to offer our support to others by just taking time to ask if they are ok.

Our Boarders have also been extremely busy preparing for their online auction, which was live today. The proceeds will provide ongoing support to the Wilderness Badhure Boarding House in Nepal. The girls are enthusiastic and committed to raising funds to help the Nepalese boarders as they face the hardships of Covid.

In working together and valuing the relationships we cherish across our wider community, we remain true to the sense of family that underpins the rich heritage of our school.