Over Easter Andy Trish returned to the Falkland Islands for a reunion. During the trip he had the opportunity to visit the children in Goose Green Primary School. This school was like no other he’d ever seen, it had 4 pupils! (and we thought Cornish Schools were small!) The teacher even lives in the school!
Goose Green school
These children will go there full time until around the age of 9, they will then have to board at the main school in Port Stanley until they are of school leaving age. Some of the children came from Chile so have to learn English from a very young age. In order to gain further education they can then go to college and University in England, paid for by the Falklands Government.
Falklands veterans visit Goose Green school
As it was close to Easter Andy and his friends turned up with Easter eggs for the children, which they devoured on the spot, luxuries such as chocolate are extremely expensive in the Falklands.
At the time of the Falklands War there were no roads from Goose Green to Port Stanley, only tracks. The parents of the children who boarded drove those tracks across the mountains there and back which took 18 hours to bring their children home.
Andy also visited the boarding school in Port Stanley. He talked to the boarding children who love the companionship of their friends and adore the islands. They all argue over who lives in the best place on the islands!
Falklands veterans at Port Stanley boarding school April 2012
The children challenged Andy and his friends to a game of football, but due to age the veterans couldn’t handle the pace and were beat 2-1!
Get in touch with the school
If any school would like to learn more about the children on the Falkland Islands or would like to write to the children please email andy@ncitech.co.uk
Andy will be raising money for the schools on the islands by selling photos of his trip in order to improve their IT. The photos can be viewed at http://flic.kr/s/aHsjzoeKqK