Speech of Garry Collins, President, English Teachers Association of Queensland, 7 June 2008 at the Brisbane Square Library: As has become customary in recent years, I’d like to open by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet, the Jagera and Turrbal peoples. An opening like that has become so routine that it is perhaps in danger of becoming an empty formality but I think it is particularly apt today. While the traditional Aboriginal custodians of the land on which this library stands lived in the area here by the river for thousands of years, they originally came from somewhere else.
It is generally acknowledged by anthropologists that the Aboriginal peoples of this land walked to the Australian continent when it was still joined by a land bridge to Asia. So it could be said that they were the first of a series of waves of immigration that have populated the great south land. I suggest there is a twofold relevance to this afternoon’s event because we are here to officially launch a book that explores both life in a part of Asia and the immigrant experience.
I’d also like to acknowledge our hosts, the Brisbane City Council library service. Like many of the other good things about living in this country and this city, it is a benefit that is often taken too much for granted. The book we’re launching deals in part with some aspects of the relatively prosperous life generally enjoyed by Australian residents compared with the economic and material conditions that prevail in many less fortunate parts of the world. The city’s libraries are a source of tremendous pleasure and intellectual stimulation and, for my own part, I think I get good value on the rates that I pay just from libraries and bicycle paths alone. I think it is very appropriate that this book launch should be taking place in this fine new library.
I am very pleased to have the opportunity to participate in the official launch of this newly published book, Green Blood and other stories, by Erwin Cabucos, who teaches English at Carmel College in Thornlands. Erwin was born and raised in the Southern Philipines. He first came to Australia on a scholarship to study and then, after marrying, migrated here.
Erwin’s book is a collection of short stories, some of which are set here in Australia and some in the Philipines. Some of the stories deal with experiences of growing up and others with adult life. A central theme involves the tensions that arise in the interaction of cultures. In some stories this involves Western cultural influences in the land of the author’s birth or competing religious affiliations there, and in others it concerns the difficulties that immigrants face in adapting to the different culture of their new country. It’s clear that Erwin’s life experiences have informed his writing.
I come to be here today because, as was noted in the introduction, I currently have the honour to be the President of the English Teachers Association of Queensland, ETAQ, or as we normally say within the association: EE-TACK. ETAQ is the professional association for school English teachers and most of our members, like our author Erwin Cabucos, teach the subject in secondary schools, both state and private. There is an English teachers association in every state and territory in the commonwealth and we are linked in a national umbrella body entitled the Australian Association for the Teaching of English, AATE. These associations exist for professional sharing and to support English teachers in their work.
What is that work? Well, naturally, it is to teach subject English to school students. You could be excused for dismissing that remark as a flash of the blindingly obvious but, of course, there are ongoing debates, and sometimes heated ones, about just what the subject should include, and with a national curriculum about to be developed we can expect to see some aspects of that debate feature in the media in the next year or so.
As far as ETAQ is concerned, subject English should be about a sensibly balanced mix of the three Ls: literacy, literature and language. They are of course inter-connected because literacy is needed for people to participate in the experience of literature. We would wish literacy and literature to be defined in broad, future-oriented ways that encompass the new communication technologies of the 21st Century as well as the traditional print-based one and what is often referred to as our literary heritage. The materials and services provided by this library are no longer restricted to paper books, although, thankfully, there are plenty of those.
Literacy is about using the language effectively in all its modes and the language component is about understanding how the linguistic system and the English language in particular work. Literacy now has a broader definition than just reading and writing but those two skills still constitute its core.
So, at the heart of subject English are efforts to teach students to read and write effectively. Teaching of anything is enhanced if the teacher is able to show by personal example just how things should be done. It is probably true to say that English teaching would be more informed and therefore more effective if more teachers wrote more. We don’t all have to get ourselves into print, but Erwin has a tremendous advantage in his teaching in that he can present himself as a real writer. In recent years it has become quite common for schools to arrange to have a writer-in-residence for a period of time. Erwin’s school now won’t have to go to any additional expense to achieve that goal. They will be in the enviable situation of having a published author on site.
Now to say a few words about another of the three Ls: literature. The importance of literature in the school English curriculum is that it enables students to imagine and vicariously experience worlds other than their own. It provides opportunities for students to imaginatively move beyond the restricted domain of their daily lives and to gain a sense of what it would be like to inhabit other spaces in their own society and culture and then, more broadly, what life is like for people in other societies and cultures. There is much of value to be learnt from fiction. Naturally, the same also applies to readers in general. Exposure to literature highlights both differences and commonalities: the differences between times, places and cultures and, conversely, the commonalities of the human experience, no matter where, when and how people live. In recent years, syllabuses have very appropriately mandated that students should be exposed to a range of literary texts. The draft QSA 1-10 syllabus talked about including texts:
I’d also like to acknowledge our hosts, the Brisbane City Council library service. Like many of the other good things about living in this country and this city, it is a benefit that is often taken too much for granted. The book we’re launching deals in part with some aspects of the relatively prosperous life generally enjoyed by Australian residents compared with the economic and material conditions that prevail in many less fortunate parts of the world. The city’s libraries are a source of tremendous pleasure and intellectual stimulation and, for my own part, I think I get good value on the rates that I pay just from libraries and bicycle paths alone. I think it is very appropriate that this book launch should be taking place in this fine new library.
I am very pleased to have the opportunity to participate in the official launch of this newly published book, Green Blood and other stories, by Erwin Cabucos, who teaches English at Carmel College in Thornlands. Erwin was born and raised in the Southern Philipines. He first came to Australia on a scholarship to study and then, after marrying, migrated here.
Erwin’s book is a collection of short stories, some of which are set here in Australia and some in the Philipines. Some of the stories deal with experiences of growing up and others with adult life. A central theme involves the tensions that arise in the interaction of cultures. In some stories this involves Western cultural influences in the land of the author’s birth or competing religious affiliations there, and in others it concerns the difficulties that immigrants face in adapting to the different culture of their new country. It’s clear that Erwin’s life experiences have informed his writing.
I come to be here today because, as was noted in the introduction, I currently have the honour to be the President of the English Teachers Association of Queensland, ETAQ, or as we normally say within the association: EE-TACK. ETAQ is the professional association for school English teachers and most of our members, like our author Erwin Cabucos, teach the subject in secondary schools, both state and private. There is an English teachers association in every state and territory in the commonwealth and we are linked in a national umbrella body entitled the Australian Association for the Teaching of English, AATE. These associations exist for professional sharing and to support English teachers in their work.
What is that work? Well, naturally, it is to teach subject English to school students. You could be excused for dismissing that remark as a flash of the blindingly obvious but, of course, there are ongoing debates, and sometimes heated ones, about just what the subject should include, and with a national curriculum about to be developed we can expect to see some aspects of that debate feature in the media in the next year or so.
As far as ETAQ is concerned, subject English should be about a sensibly balanced mix of the three Ls: literacy, literature and language. They are of course inter-connected because literacy is needed for people to participate in the experience of literature. We would wish literacy and literature to be defined in broad, future-oriented ways that encompass the new communication technologies of the 21st Century as well as the traditional print-based one and what is often referred to as our literary heritage. The materials and services provided by this library are no longer restricted to paper books, although, thankfully, there are plenty of those.
Literacy is about using the language effectively in all its modes and the language component is about understanding how the linguistic system and the English language in particular work. Literacy now has a broader definition than just reading and writing but those two skills still constitute its core.
So, at the heart of subject English are efforts to teach students to read and write effectively. Teaching of anything is enhanced if the teacher is able to show by personal example just how things should be done. It is probably true to say that English teaching would be more informed and therefore more effective if more teachers wrote more. We don’t all have to get ourselves into print, but Erwin has a tremendous advantage in his teaching in that he can present himself as a real writer. In recent years it has become quite common for schools to arrange to have a writer-in-residence for a period of time. Erwin’s school now won’t have to go to any additional expense to achieve that goal. They will be in the enviable situation of having a published author on site.
Now to say a few words about another of the three Ls: literature. The importance of literature in the school English curriculum is that it enables students to imagine and vicariously experience worlds other than their own. It provides opportunities for students to imaginatively move beyond the restricted domain of their daily lives and to gain a sense of what it would be like to inhabit other spaces in their own society and culture and then, more broadly, what life is like for people in other societies and cultures. There is much of value to be learnt from fiction. Naturally, the same also applies to readers in general. Exposure to literature highlights both differences and commonalities: the differences between times, places and cultures and, conversely, the commonalities of the human experience, no matter where, when and how people live. In recent years, syllabuses have very appropriately mandated that students should be exposed to a range of literary texts. The draft QSA 1-10 syllabus talked about including texts:
· from cultures (incl Asia) where English is not the dominant language
· that represent diversity in relation to cultures, social groups & forms & variants of English
Green Blood and other stories clearly fits the bill here. It is important to remember that Australia is a land of immigrants. In a sense, all Australians originally came from somewhere else and Erwin’s book provides a very useful exploration of the experience of adapting to a new land.
In early July I’ll be attending a national English teacher conference in Adelaide. The theme of the conference is “Stories, places, spaces: literacy and identity”. I think that neatly sums up the important contribution that the literature component of subject English can make to the tolerance and understanding so necessary in the multicultural nation that Australia is today. It also points to the valuable contribution that Erwin’s book can make to that sort of tolerance and understanding. In this collection we have stories of growing up and family life, stories of the clash of cultures and stories of the immigrant experience. The places depicted are both the Philipines and Australia. A central theme is that of human identity.
The book offers a diverse range of characters, situations and vicarious experiences. There are elements of both tragedy and humour. Some of the stories are quite moving and the vivid description in the intriguingly named title story Green Blood almost brought tears to my eyes, and a shiver to my spine. You’ll have to read it to see just what I mean by that.
And Green Blood is not the only intriguing title to be found between these covers. Titles like Salted fish make-up and Does it matter what the dead think are also well calculated to whet the reader’s curiosity:
Erwin Cabucos is to be congratulated on the literary achievement represented by this entertaining, insightful and thought-provoking collection of stories.
In early July I’ll be attending a national English teacher conference in Adelaide. The theme of the conference is “Stories, places, spaces: literacy and identity”. I think that neatly sums up the important contribution that the literature component of subject English can make to the tolerance and understanding so necessary in the multicultural nation that Australia is today. It also points to the valuable contribution that Erwin’s book can make to that sort of tolerance and understanding. In this collection we have stories of growing up and family life, stories of the clash of cultures and stories of the immigrant experience. The places depicted are both the Philipines and Australia. A central theme is that of human identity.
The book offers a diverse range of characters, situations and vicarious experiences. There are elements of both tragedy and humour. Some of the stories are quite moving and the vivid description in the intriguingly named title story Green Blood almost brought tears to my eyes, and a shiver to my spine. You’ll have to read it to see just what I mean by that.
And Green Blood is not the only intriguing title to be found between these covers. Titles like Salted fish make-up and Does it matter what the dead think are also well calculated to whet the reader’s curiosity:
Erwin Cabucos is to be congratulated on the literary achievement represented by this entertaining, insightful and thought-provoking collection of stories.
In conclusion then, I’d like to formally declare Green Blood and other stories officially launched. I wish its author all the best – particularly in his future literary and English teaching endeavours. I hope that many readers – both school students and in the general population - will have the opportunity to enjoy – and learn from – his stories.
(note: currently President of the English Teachers Association of Queensland (ETAQ), Garry Collins began teaching at Gladstone High School in 1969 after graduating from the University of Queensland. He has now been an English Department Head in Queensland state high schools for over 30 years. In addition, he has experience of North American classrooms via year-long exchanges in both the US and Canada.)
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