QUEENSLAND'S GERMAN CONNECTIONS - PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

SAGSE’s Queensland President Linda Mains describes their student exchange program which has been successfully operating for over 40 years. The Society for Australian-German Student Exchange (SAGSE) was founded in Melbourne in 1967 by the late Herr Fritz von Einem Joosten (1916–2003), a German businessman who had been seriously wounded while fighting on the Russian front and who emigrated to Australia soon after the war. He believed such conflicts could be avoided if young people from different countries could meet and learn to understand each other. He set up a trust fund to pay for scholarships to enable young Australians and young Germans to participate in an exchange. A branch was formed in Queensland in 1971 as a nonprofit organisation with a committee of people interested in the promotion and exchange of German language and culture. Professor Leopold from the University of Queensland was the first SAGSE Queensland President. In 1983 when Detlef Sulzer became President, the exchange concept was amended to enable a larger group of students to participate, by dispensing with scholarships and making the exchange self-funded. This proved to be very successful and the exchange has continued to operate in this manner since the the current President took over in 1999. SAGSE Queensland

SOCIETY FOR AUSTRALIAN GERMAN STUDENT EXCHANGE QUEENSLAND INC

SAGSE QLD INC

The Queensland students participate in a reciprocal exchange for 6½ weeks, leaving at the end of November and returning mid-January. A one-week bus tour is arranged, with the group staying in Nürnberg, Salzburg, München and Rothenburg od Tauber. Also, such visits as an Austrian salt mine, the fairytale Neuschwanstein, coldly-sobering Dachau, and the joy and wonder of a wide variety of Christmas Markets, amongst other attractions, round out this great adventure and cultural experience for the participants. Homestays are arranged with volunteer host families in the areas of Nordrhein Westfalen (mainly in the city of Essen) and in the state of Hessen, at no monetary cost. In return, families reciprocate when the German students come to Queensland. German host families are usually very generous and students are often lucky enough to experience skiing holidays and trips to various cities, castles, villages and local sights in Germany and Europe. Similarly, when in Queensland, the Germans go on a one week bus tour to Cairns and host families show them typical Queensland hospitality. Over the years many teachers have commented that students who go to Germany with SAGSE come back with much improved German. There is no doubt that staying with a host family and experiencing an authentic German Christmas – as well as attending school for a few weeks – does wonders for the students’ language skills. They also gain in confidence, independence and maturity – they walk off the plane in January simply glowing! A frequent student comment is that the SAGSE trip is the experience of their lifetime. Many of the extended SAGSE families have sent several children in succession to Germany with SAGSE and develop lifelong friendships between family members on both sides of the world. This is a true measure of the success of this program. Over the years, the SAGSE Qld Inc committee has sent more than 3,000 teenagers to and from Germany – a remarkable achievement! In German classes and lectures at Queensland universities there are always past SAGSE students who are continuing to learn the language and study German culture and history at a tertiary level. There is no doubt that SAGSE Qld Inc plays a very active and valuable role in facilitating friendships and the exchange of cultural, educational opportunities for teenagers in Queensland and in Germany. The Society for Australian-German Student Exchange (SAGSE) was founded in Melbourne in 1967 by the late Herr Fritz von Einem Joosten (08/12/1916 - 29/09/2003), a German businessman who had been seriously wounded while fighting on the Russian front and who immigrated to Australia soon after the war. He believed such conflicts could be avoided if young people from different countries could meet and learn to understand each other. He set up a trust fund to pay for scholarships to enable young Australians & young Germans to participate in an exchange. A branch was founded in Queensland in 1971 as a non-profit organization comprising a committee of people interested in the promotion and exchange of German language and culture. SAGSE Queensland began with Professor Leopold from the University of Queensland as the first President. In 1983 when Detlef Sulzer became President, the exchange concept was changed to enable a larger group of students to participate by dispensing with the scholarships and making the exchange self-funded. This proved to be very successful and the exchange has continued to operate in this manner since the Presidency was taken over in 1999 by Linda Mains. The committee works on a voluntary basis to send up to 50 Queensland school students, from state and private schools, as a group to Germany on exchange and to place up to 50 students from Germany in Queensland homes every year. The SAGSE Committee comprises volunteers, mainly teachers of German, and others who have a desire to promote German culture and language through a student exchange.

The committee works on a voluntary basis to send up to 50 Queensland school students as a group to Germany on exchange, and to place up to 50 students from Germany in Queensland homes every year. The SAGSE committee comprises teachers of German, as well as others who have a desire to promote German culture and language through a student exchange. The annual SAGSE exchange group consists of students from state and private schools across Queensland. It is ideal for teachers in schools where there are not enough students able to go on a dedicated school trip. The students are brought together to make an economically viable group. The more students who participate, the lower the individual cost becomes.

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