Dominic Wong (Kai Fung) has come a long way from when he started boarding in 2019. After attending an education expo in Hong Kong with his parents, Freda and Stanley, Dominic chose The Hamilton and Alexandra College as his preferred place to live and study. “At first I thought it was way too far to go, but I also wanted to see the countryside and improve my English”, explained Dominic.

Since starting in Year 8, Dominic has made strong connections with his fellow boarders and students at College. “When I started boarding, I was a bit nervous because it was a new and unfamiliar place. But I remember Charlie Duver was so helpful and friendly to me, and he showed me the way around”. Charlie and Dominic were roommates in 2019, and today they are still inseparable with rooms next door to each other.

Dominic’s family resides in Hong Kong and he truly misses home. “I think the things I miss the most are my Mum and Dad, and the food, like the curry fishball street food. You don’t get that in Hamilton!” Dominic regularly face-times family to see everybody, including his cats BoBo and Guppy.

Experiencing lockdowns and the trials of COVID for all our boarders and their families is unsettling, to say the least, but for Dominic and his family, the situation is particularly challenging. He understands the prospect of seeing his parents is unlikely this year, however, when he speaks of his family hopefully being together in 2022 his face lights up with genuine excitement.

Now in Year 10, Dominic has had many great experiences at College. One of these, was attending his first Alpine Camp; “The camp for me was amazing. In Hong Kong schools don’t really have camps, so this was really, really amazing”. With a newfound passion for the outdoors, Dominic is looking forward to the Central Australia trip in 2022 and knows this connection with the environment is something he could have only discovered by making that initial choice to come to The Hamilton and Alexandra College.

With RLP 5.0 coming to an end, it has been a pleasure to have Dominic in the Boarding House during this lockdown. Through his boarding journey thus far, Dominic has exuded the College virtues of optimism and resilience.

Well done Dom and thank you for choosing College – you are a true role model to our boarders and students!