At the end of 2022, the Friends of Yiramalay (a Wesley parent and friends group formed by Georgie Raik-Allen and Romy Moshinsky in May 2014 to support and strengthen the connection between Wesley and Yiramalay) invited Studio Schools of Australia to a story telling evening at Wesley College. SSA welcomed the opportunity to reconnect staff and students with the Wesley community, and it was with much excitement that Kaylene Marr (Bunuba Traditional Owner and Yiramalay council member) and four Yiramalay graduates, Kahlia Rogers (2016), Maxie Coppin (2019), Alonzo Rogers (2022) and Desmond James (2022) were joined by Helen Drennen (SSA CEO) for the Melbourne visit.
A Heartwarming Reunion
For those of the group that had been to Melbourne before, it felt like coming home. For the two recent graduates, who were experiencing Melbourne for the first time, it was the fulfilment of a long anticipated adventure, actually that exceeded their expectations. There were so many first time experiences for them including their first time seeing trams, first Ubereats, first time in the Melbourne city and their first time at a shopping centre almost as big as their home towns. They also really enjoyed spotting all the amazing cars that drive the streets in Melbourne.
Embracing Connections
Throughout the four days that the group was in Melbourne, they were thrilled to be reunited with so many friends; current Wesley students, graduated students, current staff and Wesley families. There was a great sense of celebration, the recounting of many memories and lots of laughter over the group’s time in Melbourne. While the original purpose of the visit to Melbourne was for the group to share their stories at the Friends of Yiramalay storytelling evening on 7 March and then to support the Friends of Yiramalay fundraising film night on 8 March, during their visit, the group also attended several presentations and meetings including:
- Visiting Ontrack Sports Wear to discuss Yiramalay, SSA and future Studio Schools’ uniform designs
- A visit to the Glen Waverley campus to speak to 2023 Year 10 Induction students and a lunch time catch up with past Induction staff and students
- A visit to the St Kilda Rd campus to speak to the Year 9's about Induction opportunities and a lunch time catch up with past Induction staff and students. A very special Welcome to Country smoking ceremony also took place during their visit to SKR
A special thank you goes out to Romy and Georgie for inviting the group and their hospitality during the visit and to Kym Adams (Induction Coordinator for Wesley College) for helping support the group during their time in Melbourne. The time spent reconnecting with the wider Wesley community was uplifting and exciting; it is clear that the Wesley College community is ready to move to the next stage of the partnership with SSA.
