From worlds apart, a bond has been forged between two Year 7 students in their first year at St Patrick's College.
Eric Yang hails from the bustling Nanjing metropolitan region in China, about 305km west of Shanghai, along with 30 million other residents. He is the first international Year 7 student to enrol as a boarder in the new St Patrick's College boarding precinct.
Dwayne Hayes hails from Ali Curung in the Northern Territory, 380km north of Alice Springs, with 493 other people. He is the first Indigenous student from a remote community to begin their boarding education in Year 7 in the new boarding precinct.
While their paths to Ballarat could not have been more different, their journeys with the green, white and blue are now intertwined.
Director of Boarding Mike Silcock said it had been a joy to watch a friendship bloom in such a small amount of time.
"These two young men, born worlds apart have formed the closest of friendships here as boarders at St Patrick's College," Mr Silcock said.
"Their amazing bond is clear evidence of the wonderfully (celebrated) diversity that exists within boarding at the college, bringing together two very different young men to journey together through school.
"There are so many anecdotes or memories that could be shared about their time together in boarding and this is just in the short space of time that they have been with us.
"They take great delight in telling us (usually over lunch when they both come and park themselves on our staff table) what the other has been doing (or doing wrong!).
"And when Dwayne scored a try in his first game playing Under-13 rugby for the college, the first to congratulate him was his team mate Eric."
It is not just in the boarding house though where these two boys' impact is being felt.
In the halls of the Junior School and in the Year 7 classrooms, both Dwayne and Eric are being recognised by their peers as future leaders of St Patrick's College.
"Both Dwayne and Eric were recently appointed as Year 7 Form Captains and were elected by their peers," Mr Silcock said.
"They are two of our four Year 7 boarders who are thriving among a wider Year 7 cohort of some 234 students.
"We see their achievements and their friendship as further proof of the total support boarding can provide our younger students, giving them a platform to excel."
It is hoped Dwayne's and Eric's early success can pave the way for more younger boarders from diverse backgrounds to attend the college.
"It is really great to see these boys succeed as we pushed so hard for both an International program and acceptance of younger Indigenous boarders," Mr Silcock said.
"While we will always judge each potential enrolee on their merit (readiness) - these two have just excelled in the environment we are able to create. It has been a real highlight to our boarding year to see the friendship these two have formed."
