East Meets West In Sa

Illawarra Mercury

Wednesday July 26, 2000

By KILMENY ADIE

Fourteen-year-old Nathan East is heading west for a unique insight into life in the opal mining town of Coober Pedy.

The Lake Illawarra High School student was selected ahead of his classmates to take part in a special school exchange program.

For one week, starting August 5, Nathan will leave his family to spend his days on a cattle station near the remote outback town.

Nathan said he was excited at the opportunity to visit a part of Australia he had never seen.

``The closest I have been was Adelaide," he said.

Nathan had to answer a questionnaire and sit for an interview with his teacher Richard Finter and deputy principal Bernie Fitzpatrick to get the trip.

The Mt Warrigal teenager said his host family had promised him a visit to an underground home, and Lake Eyre.

Later in the year, a student from Coober Pedy School will come to the Illawarra as a guest of Lake Illawarra High School.

Nathan said the student would come closer to the end of term to take advantage of our beaches and warmer weather.

Mr Fitzpatrick said a relationship between the schools was established in May last year at a gender-equity conference in Newcastle.

He then visited the school during a long-service holiday the following month.

Since then students from the schools have been in contact via email, learning about the differences between the Illawarra and Coober Pedy.

Mr Fitzpatrick said he thought Nathan would learn a lot from the experience.

© 2000 Illawarra Mercury

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