Guan Xiaomin (Minnie)

From China to Bairnsdale

I am a music education expert and textbook review editor from China.

I used to work as a music education researcher in the educational institute of Guilin Education Bureau. There, I was in charge of managing and guiding the music teaching in middle and elementary schools, and music teachers of the city.

I was also the visiting professor of conservatory of two universities in Guilin, in charge of teaching such courses as music teaching, music appreciation, and chorus conducting. I specialised in chorus training and conducting.

Although I am now retired, I still give advice remotely to undergraduate students who are finishing their research thesis.

I’ve learnt many instruments in my time, including the accordion and the piano.

Through music, you can communicate with people immediately. It is a type of language that has no boundaries. Music knows no borders.

It is a language I hope to keep using in my new hometown in Bairnsdale, southeast of Melbourne.

Throughout my career, I’d often spend semester breaks travelling to Melbourne. I have a really close friend who lives in Melbourne, so I’d come to visit her and travel here.

When I got divorced, it was time to start a new life.

I met my Australian husband, Doug, online. Doug came to visit me in China many times before we got together. Doug came to my classes and got to know me and my work. We’ve been married for five years now.

At first, we lived together in Campbelltown, southwest of Sydney. Life was quite different from life in my home country, but I soon got used to it here. I started volunteering, teaching music classes and organising a choir. It was quite popular.

We moved to Bairnsdale in the middle of 2017. We lived in a tent in a caravan park while we looked for a place to live. After months of looking we finally bought a house at Eastwood, an estate on the river in Bairnsdale.

Bairnsdale has everything we need. The people are really kind, so my life here is really enjoyable. Also, our new property is really pretty.

I’ve gotten to know a few Chinese people in the area, and our neighbours are really good. I have an international driver’s licence, too, so I often drive to nearby places with Doug. We often go to the beach, the snow and to parks.

I started learning English when I came to Australia. It was a 500-hour compulsory course provided by the government. I’ve continued to study English. I now have an online Chinese English teacher, and my husband is also my teacher.

I miss my students and friends in China, and all the music-related activities I get to do there. I have been a teacher for most of my life, and I feel really good when I’m teaching. My greatest joy in Australia is in volunteering – I’m very keen to get back into teaching music voluntarily at one of the local schools in Bairnsdale.

I think Australia is really beautiful. This country is like a big garden. I like the food and the people. Where we live in Bairnsdale, the people are friendly. I hope to communicate with my new Australian friends with the special language of music, and bring wonderful music to more friends and children.