A dream come true

COMBINING education with entertainment, Hi-5 is a world-renowned children's television programme that premiered in Australia way back in 1999.
Created by Helena Harris and Posie Graeme-Evans, the show is hosted by five members of a team who sing and dance, tell stories, and do little skits in order to entertain and educate children between the ages of one and eight.
Members have come and gone over the years, but the current five – Courtney Clarke, Shay Clifford, Joe Kalou, Bailey Spalding, and Lachie Dearing – all auditioned together in late 2016, and have been carrying on the good work of their predecessors.
This group is part of the newly-revived Hi-5 series that premiered in May last year.
The group is here in Malaysia for the Hi-5 Holiday Fun Show at Paradigm Johor Baru today at 2pm, 4pm and 6pm; Paradigm Mall Petaling Jaya tomorrow at 1pm, 4pm and 7pm; and at Gateway KLIA this Sunday at 1pm, 4pm and 7pm.
During an earlier tele-conference interview with the team in Melbourne, we discovered that all five members grew up watching and loving the show.
They all also come from a showbusiness background and have even met previous Hi-5 presenters such as Ainsley Melham, Stevie Nicholson, and Charli Robinson.
"They were our idols. We all wanted to be just like them, especially Bailey who wanted to be like Charli," said Clarke.
"It is pretty amazing to be on the other end now," added Dearing. "We grew up looking up to them, and kids now look up to us. So it is a pretty amazing opportunity."
Clifford said: "All of us get to be ourselves on the show, and we all get our own little segments where we get to explore our creativity."
Asked what sets them apart from other children's shows,
Kalou said: "I believe Hi-5 is different because we are able to teach and interact with the kids through song and dance."
Dearing added: "I think another awesome thing about our show is that we are friends with all the kids who are watching.
"We are like their brothers or sisters. We are not like [their] mum or dad telling them what to do. We are teaching them to learn through play. "
Play is very much part of what Hi-5 is all about.
Spalding said: "Learning should be fun. We all believe that the best way to learn is when you enjoy what you are doing."
Clarke said that due to the good relationship the show has with previous cast members, they are able to reach out, and also learn from them.
Sometimes, you get nostalgic about the TV shows you grew up with, even the children shows.
It must be pretty special to realise that some child watching the show today will remember them fondly years from now.