CELEBRATING FIRST NATIONS CULTURE 

Old Boys Reflect on Their Time at Saints & Impart Wise Words to Current Students

St Augustine’s College was privileged to have two Saints First Nations Old Boys drop in on Friday October 7. Nichollas Sam-Anau (class of 2012) and Ishmaiel Lui (class of 2014). Nick is originally from Saibai Island and Ishmaiel’s home is Warraber Island, and both were full-time boarders. These alumni, who are now Australian Armed Forces military personnel, were in Cairns for a three-day stop over. Their platoon was onboard the HMAS Adelaide which was anchored at the Cairns wharf. They are based in Townsville and were on their way north.

Both men joined staff for morning tea. Mr Andrew Dorahy, Mr Chris Chapman, Mr Neil Gregory and Mr Toby McCarthy, who were teaching here when they were students, and Mr John Brimstone sat and spoke with them. 

Nick and  Ishmaiel spoke with all the First Nation students in Br Aquin Theatre for close to an hour and also dropped over to the Tech Block to see Mr Paul Little, their manual arts teacher. Everyone was glad to see and talk with them.

Both spoke highly of their time at Saints as well as our education, discipline, high expectations and the routines of boarding and the day school. They spoke of the great opportunities here at Saints and urged students not to waste them but to take every opportunity  to better themselves and never to have a slack attitude to anything. 

Both acknowledged that they were Australian Indigenous Education Foundation, (AIEF) Scholarship students and thanked AIEF for the support, guidance and mentoring they had received while at St Augustine's.

We very much appreciate and are grateful to both Old Boys for returning to their old college and speaking with current First Nations students. We wish them all the best and hope they drop in again next time they are in Cairns.