Twenty-seven senior students from St Clare’s College, Griffith have visited Fiji as part of their 2019 Mission program. The group immersed themselves in Fijian culture over 10 days and gained perspective into traditional Fijian life.

They visited the Highland Village of Nausori and were warmly welcomed by the locals. The students assisted the community by laying the foundations of an extension to the community hall. 

St Clare’s students held a Kids’ Club for the village children each day after school. The children learned new skills in PE based games and participated in drama activities. During arts and craft time, they created paddle-pop stick planes and painted wooden cars that St Clare’s students had made back in Australia.

“As these activities are not part of the curriculum in Fijian schools, it was a joy to see how much the village children gained from these new experiences,” said Marie Manning, St Clare’s Mission and Ministry Coordinator.

During their farewell Kava ceremony, the Chief and village elders recognised the students’ hard work and efforts by naming the community hall after St Clare’s. The girls were adopted as daughters of the Highland families.

St Clare’s continued to participate in a range of other service projects including painting a community hall in Natolda village and preparing meals for women and children in low-cost housing. 

Mass was celebrated with the community of St Michael’s and the students enjoyed morning tea with parishioners. They learnt to make flower garlands; hiked the Sigatoka sand dunes; enjoyed the thermal springs at Sabeto Mud Pools; and kayaked through the mangroves near Natola Beach. The group even found time to shop in Nadi.

“Each experience offered us a new perspective of Fijian life,” said Ms Manning. “We celebrated new friendships, strengthened others, learnt much about ourselves personally and realised that working together as a team can really make a difference in impacting the lives of others.