In April St Agnes’ Catholic Parish hosted an Aged Care Trainer, Po’alo’i from Tupou Tertiary Institute in Tonga. The purpose of the visit was to provide Po’alo’i work experience and currency as a Trainer in aged care settings in Australia. This is an integral part of Po’alo’i’s role as an Aged Care Trainer in Tonga where many of her students will work in aged care in Australia as part of the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility program.

During her stay Po’alo’i’ was based at Emmaus, however, she also visited St Agnes’ House and Maryknoll to gain a deeper perspective of the types of settings available and see how residents are cared for depending on their needs.

Po’alo’i says she was impressed by the professionalism of the SACAL team, “Everyone has made me feel so welcome and I have enjoyed seeing everyday practices for care.  The residents are very well cared for and the quality of equipment and resources is something that is a challenge for aged care in Tonga”.

Meeting with Trainers at the John Henry Institute, Po’alo’i now also has new mentors to support her journey as an Aged Care Trainer.

Po’alo’i also enjoyed the Australian experience by helping to cook a BBQ for residents and attending the local sites, including the Billabong Zoo and a few trips to K Mart!

Po’alo’i says, “Malo ‘Aupito!”, (thank you) to colleagues at the Parish for making her visit to Australia so special, “Port Macquarie is a beautiful town, and this experience will guide my training and stay in my heart forever”.

Hosting international colleagues is certainly a mutually beneficial experience for all and we thank Po’alo’I for sharing her Tongan culture with us, too!