Yalda Hakim & George Roux
Class Acts: Episode 06
Globally renowned journalist Yalda Hakim was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, and came to Australia as a refugee after her parents were forced to flee from the Taliban.
That brought Yalda to Parramatta West Public School as a quiet, shy girl learning a new language in a completely new environment. And it was at Parramatta West that Yalda was taught by George Roux , the primary school teacher she describes as “a testament to what public school education is”.
In this episode, Yalda sees George for the first time in 30 years and thanks him for changing her life, telling him, “I'm so grateful for all that you have done for me and other children whose parents came from other parts of the world and were trying to figure out … where their child and their family fit in”.
This episode also features a special cameo from Liam Fulton, who George coached in the Parramatta West Junior Rugby League team and who went on to play for Wests Tigers in the NRL, including in the 2005 Premiership winning team.
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