The Australian Ambassador to Germany, Ms Lynette Wood, arrived in Perth for a short visit on Thursday 15th March 2018.

The Ambassador was welcomed with a reception to meet companies with direct business links to Germany (see article). Her visit also involved meeting with the Barking Gecko Theatre Company to discuss the possibility of a German tour of their production “Bambert’s Book of Lost Stories”. This powerful production is based on a German book Bamberts Buch der Verschollenen Geschichten by Reinhardt Jung. The book has been translated from German to English and adapted into a beautiful play “Bambert’s Book of Lost Stories” about the transformative power of stories.

Ambassador Ms Lynette Wood also made a visit to Rossmoyne Senior High School to talk with the German students, teachers and principal. Rossmoyne currently has approximately 170 students studying German from Years 7 to 12. The school has been selected by the Department of Education as a Lead Languages School to assist with the provision of German language programs (both online and face-to-face).

The Australian Ambassador to Germany, Ms Lynette Wood, arrived in Perth for a short visit last week. To mark the occasion Mr Torsten Ketelsen, Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany, held a small reception on Thursday 15 March 2018 at the Honorary Consulate of Germany.

The reception provided an opportunity for Australian companies with direct business links to Germany to meet the Ambassador.

The German Language Round Table held the first meeting for 2018 on the 27 February at the Honorary German Consulate. The meeting marked a great start to the New Year with 11 new members joining to support the Round Table’s objective of working collaboratively to aid and promote German language and culture in Western Australia.

Special guest Joanna Jamroz, Head of Educational Service Goethe-Institut, was welcomed to the group on her first visit to the Round Table from the Goethe-Institute Melbourne office.

The meeting provided an opportunity for an exchange of ideas and avenues of support for the strengthening of German language learning in WA.

The main aims of the German Language Round Table are to:

• Match German language resources with the demand from schools and other institutions in Western Australia.
• Support and promote existing and new pathways for German language teaching in Western Australia.
• Advocate for second language learning in Western Australian schools and other institutions.
• Identify and address any barriers to the uptake of German as a second language, and languages other than English in general, in schools and other institutions.
• Support and promote German cultural events in Western AustraliaFor more information on the German Language Round Table see the web page: German Language Round Table