Cultural & Traditions Captain

Whilst we were all trying to settle into the new year, time quickly got away from us and before we realised, Valentine’s Day was a week out. It was a bit of a mad rush, but within a week we got our gift card and chocolate stall up and running. It was so rewarding for the committee to see the joy these simple gifts brought people and we were determined to continue to create joyous occasions. Valentine’s Day was followed by the introduction of what I hope becomes a new tradition, St Patrick’s Day.

Originating as a feast day in the early church, it was decided that a doughnut eating competition was in order. Doughnuts were hung from the roof of the tuckshop undercover area and students competed against each other to eat their doughnut as quickly as possible, without using their hands. The luck of the Irish seemed to evade many participants as they struggled to stabilise their doughnuts, providing great entertainment for all. The winner of each round was awarded chocolate coins as it wouldn’t be St Patrick’s Day without the prospect of a pot of gold.

Another highlight, and certainly the most logistically challenging event, was World Week. We sold bubble tea on Monday and souvlaki on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the Senior School flocked to Café 745 to enjoy a variety of Indian curries and pappadams. On Thursday, we returned to Café 745 where the Korean fried chicken sold out within 10 minutes. We topped off the afternoon with Korean soft drinks and K-pop. Finally came everyone’s favourite comfort foods, lasagne and garlic bread on Friday. We also held a special worship service on Friday where everyone was allowed to dress up in attire matching their family’s cultural identity. It was certainly a challenging week, but the excitement amongst the students (and food!) made it all worth it.

Thank you so much to all the students who supported our events, helping us to spread joy in the community. Thank you to all the committee members, Mrs Wright and Ms Liu for all the hard work you put into making these days a success. Finally, a huge thank you to Miss Anderson for all the behind-the-scenes organisational work and for listening to our ideas and running with them. I really hope we were able to reignite Redeemer’s spirit.

Cooper Allen Tyra Arthur Charmaine Chan Yanni Chan Simone Coetzee Hannah Dreghorn Bradley Glover Francyse Hsu Calum Jones Jacob Kemp Howlett Colin Lau Leona Li Jenny Lu Emelie Ly Mitchell Ness Wilson Lili Olson Ainsley Rudwick Mary Stadhams Anjlee Suri Shanice Timotius Joel Varela Max Wearne Katherine Williams Emily Wu Jin Wu Neo Yang Miss Brooke Anderson