Toowoomba school students, refugees share stories on Harmony Day at Darling Heights State School | Event photo gallery
Primary school students have opened up about the challenges they overcame when they fled their countries of origin to call Toowoomba home for Harmony Week. SEE OUR GALLERY HERE.
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When Ramona Hamad and Joshua Mukeba fled their home countries with their families, they were looking for somewhere safe to live and ultimately chose Toowoomba.
Ramona, who is from Iraq, hopes to one day become a photographer while Joshua, who left his home in Africa, plans to be a police officer.
The two year 6 students attend Darling Heights State School, which is known for embracing diversity with students coming from 41 different countries.
Initially the pair could not speak English but after receiving support from the school’s language support team and intensive English centre co-ordinator Beverley Briffa, the two students now speak it fluently.
“Darling Heights is such a unique school because we have such a diverse community,” Ms Briffa said.
“Almost 50 per cent of our school is from another country or consider English an additional language.”
Both Ramona and Joshua also addressed the crowd, sharing their personal stories and thanking the school for its language support.
“When I first arrived at Darling Heights I couldn’t speak much English and I was a little scared because I did not know how to do many things,” Ramona said.
“I told myself you are strong – you are not going to cry.”
Ms Briffa said Harmony Day is a special day for the school due to its link to many countries and cultures from around the world.
“I remember when (Ramona and Joshua) first arrived they couldn’t speak a word of English … they just shone in front of the school (on Wednesday),” she said.
School principal Jason Callcott also spoke at the school assembly and read children’s book Luli and the Language of Tea.
The story is about kids who join an English as a second language class and connect over a tea party.
A performance was also delivered by the school’s African drumming group.
Healing Hearts Toowoomba is hosting a Harmony Day Picnic at Picnic Point on Saturday, March 25, from 11am to 2pm.
The event is free and will have food, cooking demonstrations and live entertainment on the day.
Harmony Week runs from March 20 to 26.
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