The Blue Mountains Hotel School is pleased to welcome its newly appointed Vice Principal, Hotel Services Mr Steven Tucker who commenced his duties on Monday 20th November. Mr Tucker joins the BMHS management team from Merton College Surrey in the UK where he was Assistant Head of School, Catering, Hospitality and Facilities Services for the last five years.
Before that Steven worked in hospitality management roles in the UK and China including F&B Manager for Jury’s London Inn, Islington, London; Branch Manager for Wine Cellar (a wine shop stocking a minimum of 1,000 labels and including a café/bar) in Banstead, Surrey; Assistant F&B Manager for the New Century Hotel, Taipa, Macau; and F& B Manager trainee at the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza Harbourview, Xiamen, China. The traineeship was part of Steven’s BA (Hons.) in International Hospitality Management from the University of Central Lancashire.
Steven is settling into his new role and new life with great enthusiasm and is joined in Australia by his fiancé Ms Jenna Wilkins.
HOMESTAY FAMILIES DINNER CELEBRATES COMMUNITY SPIRIT
On Wednesday 29 November, BMHS hosted a special dinner at the Chambers fine-dining restaurant on the Leura campus for its English Language Program staff and students and their Homestay families from the upper Blue Mountains. The dinner celebrated two years of success for the Homestay program and was held as a thank-you from the School and the students to their Homestay parents.
BMHS Homestay Coordinator, Ms Roberta Barwell who hosted the function, says “The majority of families who started two years ago are still in the program. It has been a great privilege to get to know these families in our local community. I appreciate all the effort they put in to provide such a wonderful service to our students.
About seventy-five guests enjoyed a three-course dinner prepared and served by BMHS undergraduate students accompanied by the classical repertoire of two Homestay students, violinist Mr Ken Kwon from Korea and pianist Ms Sze Yu Chan from Hong Kong (HK).
The Principal Mr Guy Bentley gave an opening address focusing on the importance of integrating BMHS with the local community. Special guests included Mr Steven Tucker and his fiancé Jenna Wilkins; Mr Tucker is the newly appointed BMHS Vice Principal, Hotel Services from the UK and has only been here for a few weeks.
Veterans of the program include Ms Jane Adams and Mr Mark Manly from Leura who have hosted students from Sweden, Hong Kong and Korea. “It has been a great experience for the whole family including Oliver (aged 11) and Phoebe (aged 19) as well as for the students we host,” says Mark, “Their English improves significantly as they practice with us. For our family, it means we sit down to dinner more often; it brings the family together.”
Other long-timer homestay parents at the dinner included Christine and Wolfgang Moeller of Leura with student George Fang (Taiwan); Sherrie and Steve Ehrlich of Leura with three students, Jenny Kim (Korea), Winsome Li (China) and Nogy Ng (Indonesia); and Pamela and Arthur Harman of Lawson with Josephine Leung (HK).
Ms Beryl Denver-Stevenson turned her B&B in Leura into homestay accommodation and has hosted two groups of three students, most recently Mr Ken Kwon from Korea and Ms Sirapop Yunchalad and Ms Benjaporn Siengjew, both from Thailand.
“It is very rewarding from both sides,” says Beryl, “I have travelled widely and I am interested in the differences and sameness of people from around the world. I have also seen the students’ English improve remarkably; Ken’s words of farewell to me were very articulate and very touching.”
Christine and Neil Bates from Wentworth Falls have hosted Cynthia Ho from Hong Kong and this was their first homestay dinner. “It was such a nice surprise to be invited!” says Christine who, after nine years of commuting to Sydney for work now enjoys a different lifestyle, “This was our first ever community-related event and it was a really enjoyable evening: good food and wine, talking to the staff about our student, seeing all the other Homestay families in the area. A real eye-opener.” The Bates are looking forward to hosting again in 2007.
