Ella Wilkinson (seated, front) with TAFE journalism students Will Tremain (standing, left) Mark Cowan and Stephanie Rouxel. Photo by Tracy Sorensen.By Will Tremain
Ella Wilkinson studies journalism locally here in Bathurst at Charles Sturt University. In December 2011, she had the opportunity to visit a place that has had much media attention over the last decade, East Timor. On a family vacation, Ella would travel across where she spent time with the President, José Ramos-Horta, a close friend of Ella’s mother as a result of her journalistic career.
This holiday however, became more of an eye-opening experience that inspired Ella. She now shares her mother’s passion of caring for the country and people of East Timor. Being exposed to their way of life and their standard of living had an impact that she says inspired her to help.
After visiting one of the schools, she is now considering returning to East Timor to teach English. When asked about the community’s reaction to having their children educated, she told us that it varies from town to town, and even family to family. For some East Timorese, the nearest school is three hours away, and their family mightn’t even own transport, but for others, education is a definite priority. According to Ella, the kids that do attend school are committed and eager to learn, and when opportunities of extra-curricular activities present themselves, they take to it without hesitation
When asked about the state of the country, she admits there is a lot of work to be done; most areas don’t even have power as a result of the Indonesian invasion years ago. Ella also mentions that there was some political unrest, as the first election since 2006 will take place soon this year. The election in 2006 ran with riots and much protest, so the country is waiting in anticipation to see how this year’s election will run.
In any case, Ella seems set on returning to help the East Timorese she became so fond of in her travels.
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