Development Office

International Students Program

Over the past week I have been travelling representing Blackfriars as a member of the Adelaide Independent School Alliance (AISA). AISA comprises 14 non-government schools working together to promote Adelaide as a destination of choice for International students. Along with Blackfriars on this current mission have been representatives from Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College (OLSH), Mercedes College, Scotch College, the Adelaide International School and the newly established Maple Leaf College.  Blackfriars is the only all-boys AISA member school.

This week’s journey began in Jakarta where the Australian Trade & Investment Commissioner, Tim Martin, launched AISA to education agents from across Indonesia.  As our closest neighbour, with a burgeoning economy and significant population, Indonesia represents a positive opportunity for schools in Adelaide enrolling overseas students and we hope to see students enrolling from this country in the next few years. During my time in Jakarta I was also able to visit Santa Laurensia Catholic School and talk to students about our school.

Blackfriars has had a long and prosperous relationship with the Adelaide Vietnamese community and this has grown to include International students in the past decade or so.  In Ho Chi Minh City this week, as well as being introduced to numbers of potential students and families, along with education agents, I was fortunate to share a meal with the families of two of our current Vietnamese students, Trung Pham (Year 12) and Anh Nguyen (Year 8). The families spoke with me of their pride for their sons and our school.

Throughout Vietnam, AISA is working with Apollo English (an English language school with offices in major cities) to provide opportunities for students to learn about South Australia and discover more about studying at schools in Adelaide. Students aged 10 to 16 have been invited to make a short video about Adelaide with the chance to win a trip to visit schools including Blackfriars.  Shortlisted videos will be posted on social media channels and the general public asked to vote for their favourites. I look forward to sharing the videos with you to help some lucky boys come and experience Blackfriars later this year.

Before returning home this weekend, the AISA roadshow moves north through Vietnam to Da Nang, Hanoi and Haiphong, where I will visit more schools and meet more potential Blackfriars students and families.  I enjoy sharing our Blackfriars story with them and hope that many will eventually join us, continuing to add to the richness the Blackfriars International Students Program provides for our community.

Mr Patrick Kelly (BPS'90)

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT & COMMUNITY RELATIONS