Sydney Uni Students experience Copi Hollow

Pictured above (from left to right):  Steve Miller, Chief Executive Officer of the Broken Hill Speedboat Club, Peter Vymys, Student Corrdinator, Carina Maione, Student from Venezuela , William Otto, Student from  Pontianak, Indonesia , Leo Liu, Student from  Shanghai, China.

You may have seen these people in the paper in the local paper  but for those of you who didn’t here is a little background.

Three of the University of Sydney students were in the city for a six week program to put their Commerce degree into practice.  The students were working at the Broken Hill Enterprise Development Centre  in Crystal Street (where I had the pleasure to meet and spend time to get to know them).

Their supervisor, Peter Vymys, is a member of the business program unit for the University of Sydney.

The program is run through the Broken Hill Rural Health Sydney Campus.  It provides an extension of the health and medical studies with a move into the business school.

“The students are studying a Master of Commerce degree.  They now have to shift their focus from exams into a new paradigm:.

Mr Vymys said it gave the students the chance to use their skills in a commercial sense.

“It’s an intensive program,” he said. “They essentially work full time for the six weeks”.

“They can apply their skills to real problems and think about their own development,” he said.

“It is an opportunity for a small rural community that is isolated to work with the students in local business.  Businesses are provided with a new set of eyes.”

Mr Vymys said that after the six week program the students have to write a research paper that they will complete from their learning journal.

We are hoping it is the beginning of a long, happy association and hopefully we will be back out again in June or July.” he said.

They seem to be enjoying what the program had to offer.”

While the students were in Broken Hill we took them to see the sights and to Copi Hollow for a BBQ lunch.  The BBQ consisted of stake sandwiches or sausage in bread with onion and I think they loved it.

They were amazed by Copi Hollow and were interested in how it all came about.  They said they never expected to see such a beautiful green area in the middle of the desert.

Carina loved it so much that she decided to stay for the weekend and mentioned that it would be a place that she would like to be involved in when she has a family of her own.  Carina is an excellent Wakeboarder and enjoyed being able to go for a few wakeboards over the weekend.

I am sure the students loved spending time in Broken Hill and would have good stories to tell of their time in Broken Hill and in the surrounding area’s.

I really enjoyed meeting and spending time with the students and feel privileged to now have life long friendships as a result.  I will miss them all!