- The Discover To Sail program is the nationally-recognised program.
The students come away with a certificate and accreditation
of basic boating skills and water safety skills.
They can then use those skills to go on and sail state-wide or nationally,
and some of our students also go on internationally, as well.
And it's a lovely way to interact with our beautiful environment,
as you can see behind us.
We have over 300 days of sunshine in Townsville
and it's a great way for the kids to get out and get involved in our community.
Townsville is a beautiful place to live and to enjoy.
One of the benefits is that it's a tropical town,
so that's something that a lot of the students don't get to experience,
so they come here. The community is lovely and safe and engaging
and embraces our students.
The students come to school and make friends with people,
and particularly with the Discover To Sail program,
they get to make more friends with some lovely kids,
having fun while they're doing it,
and they get to liaise with our Pimlico students.
And when they're in the boats, they get to have some team-building exercises,
so it builds on team-building, it builds on communication,
resilience, and, of course, it's a sport,
so they get to enjoy an outdoor sport.
When the students arrive at Pimlico,
they're greeted with the homestay coordinator.
The students are then buddied up with a suitable host family,
so they have similar interests.
Students get to enjoy all sorts of Australian activities
with their families, who really go out of their way
to provide a unique and exciting opportunity and experience for them
for the duration of their stay,
and they build lifelong friendships and connections from that.
So buddying up with the EQI program,
they get to sail internationally
and they've got the connections with the students
that are on a worldwide basis.