AJS Qld President | David Shield
The staff from School of the Air in Rockhampton recently asked me to talk to their students about classical Japanese arts. It was a such a pleasure to meet and talk with so many children, eager to lean about my interest in flower arrangement and koto music.
The students were fascinated by both arts and had lots of interesting questions. Several were keen to try their hand at creating flower arrangements from what they had growing in their gardens, while others were eager to learn more by googling ‘Koto music’ after our discussion. It was wonderful to see their interest and curiosity.
For many of us our interest in Japan started with a glimpse of a distant place and culture. And it is such glimpses that often inspire the building of bridges between cultures.
Hopefully this session contributed to the building of bridges for some of the students.
In 2022 the AJS-QLD presented Japanese language and cultural resources to schools in Central Queensland, as the education component of the Society’s 50th Anniversary celebrations. The resources, now housed in Rockhampton, formed the start of a resource hub for teachers and students of Japanese language and culture in the Central Queensland region, including those teaching and leaning about Japan via School of the Air.
The AJS-QLD looks forward to collaborating again in the near future and continuing to inspire the next generation in the Queensland Japan relationship.
AJS Qld President | David Shield