Head of Humanities David Proudlove said the Year 9 Asia Extravaganza was part of the Australian Curriculum’s cross-curricular priority of ‘Australia's Engagement with Asia’. “Some of the presenters have been touring the country as part of the Asian Education Foundation’s support for schools immersing themselves in this exciting and extremely relevant theme,” Mr Proudlove said.

Throughout the day, the boys took part in sessions ranging from Chinese martial arts weapons training, lion dancing, aikido, iaido and kenjutsu to taiko drumming, shakuhachi, Japanese singing and origami. The final hour of the day, held in the Chapel, was a showcase of all the boys had experienced and featured them as performers, under the direction of the professional presenters.

Mr Proudlove said having a better understanding of Asian cultures was an educational imperative as we move further into what is now widely referred to as ‘The Asian Century’. “We must grasp every opportunity to deepen our knowledge and understanding of countries such as China, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and India,” he said.

“There is no doubt that participating in over three hours of interactive, as well as extremely active workshops made a very positive impression on the boys. The event really did showcase the amazing diversity of Chinese and Japanese cultures.”

Christ Church’s Japanese community continued its fundraising activities to help support the thousands of orphans of the 2011 tsunami by making and selling sushi during recess and lunch – much to the delight of boys, staff and the guest presenters.