Page 72 - NHS Beyond the Classroom
P. 72
International Rep’s 1995
Murray Nathan Anthony Fisher Deborah Wood Shannin Keeley Amanda Farmilo Shawn Howie
The United Nations governments, the policies, the laws,
Forum the issues and the people. We were
The main objective of the ready to solve the problems of the
world!
United Nations is to save succeeding When we arrived at the
generations from the scourge of war University of Waikato there were
and also to reaffirm faith in the around sixty-five Secondary School
fundamental human rights of men students from the Waikato and the
and women from nations large and Bay of Plenty regions, all
small. representing a country.
So when four of us hearty 6th As we gained allies we also
Formers were asked to represent our gained confidence through both
school at the inaugural mock United voting and speaking power. In
Nations Forum on the weekend of between terrorists holding hostages
the 9th and 10th of September, we at gun point, top-secret meetings
had absolutely no idea what we were between OPEC and raising oil prices
getting ourselves into. by 25%, we learned an exceptional
Murray Nathan and Anthony amount of knowledge about the
Fisher as representatives for the forces keeping world peace.
major drug-dealing nation of In two days we had been
Columbia, and Deborah Wood and exposed to many complex
Shannin Keeley as representatives international issues, learnt to react to
for the healthy Muslim country of unexpected crisies , become a
Saudi Arabia. confident negotiator and thoroughly
During the week our heads enjoyed ourselves.
were crammed with information on Deborah Wood
our respective countries. The
Commonwealth Heads of middle of the powhiri, we settled in
Government for two days jam-packed full of
debates, workshops and plenary
Being one of 50 schools sessions.
invited to take part in the first New Our aim was to prepare a
Zealand simulated students communique about issues
Commonwealth Heads of concerning the Commonwealth
Government Meeting (CHOGM) which we later presented to Dame
was both exciting and nerve- Catherine Tizard to go to the real
wracking. CHOGM held in Auckland in
It was held in Palmerston November.
North on the 20th and 21st of It wasn’t all work though -
September and all 51 countries of the we attended a formal reception held
Commonwealth were represented by in the Palmerston North Museum on
sixth-form Geography students from the first night, and lunched with
all around New Zealand. Dame Catherine the next day. We
We were allocated the were billeted with High School
Bahamas and so prepared for this students from around Palmerston
event by studying this country and North and met heaps of people.
its value positions on topics such as Overall, the trip was a lot of
the environment, trade aid, human fun and was a very valuable and
rights and indigenous peoples. worthwhile experience for both of
After flying down and making us.
our (late) grand entrance into the Amanda Farmilo & Shawn Howie
