Student Reflections

Year 10 Work Experience in Lockdown

by Lorraine Becker Year 10

I just want to share with you my work experience. The 2020 work experience program had been cancelled this year, yet I was given the position to undertake work experience online with Emma Barnett, Glenn Kacprzak, and Rob Bassett from Swinburne University. On Monday and Tuesday, astronomers and Ph.D. students from the Centre for Astrophysics & Supercomputing at Swinburne University of Technology provided us with special activities. I gained an insight into the different types of radiation, which galaxies have gas and dust etc. I also compared wavelengths of energy in the electromagnetic spectrum and the differences between the bulges of spiral galaxies to elliptical galaxies. I did a lot of programming exercises too! Overall, it was a wonderful experience. I have attached some photos as well.

On the first day back to onsite learning, Farrneez and Shreya surprised their Business Management class with a box of lollies from their business "Sweet Shop". The cute lollies were individually packaged in small portions complete with their business logo, which was a sweet surprise for the class.

The students handed in their Marketing assignments, which involved the design and research into a theoretical business. Due to the nature of COVID restrictions and online learning, the task set was of a theoretical nature. The girls went above and beyond to really implement the strategies they had learned during the Unit. Well done girls! Two great examples of entrepreneurship.

Resilience Project 

by Lara Matheson Year 10

Neale Daniher, former Essendon football player and coach of the Melbourne football club. Diagnosed in 2013 with Motor Neuron Disease (MND). He has never given up on life and has faced this debilitating disease that affects the use of arms and legs and swallowing and finally breathing.  He has never given up and has been a fierce fighter taking on this ‘Beast’ head on and without losing his humour. He has raised massive funds for FightMND and is a co-founder and patron of this fundraiser. And Australians are proud to call him one of their own.

The five skills and attitudes Neale uses to be resilient:

1. Humour - always laughing - Anytime you read an article or interview with Neale Daniher it always mentions his humour and laughter.  Whenever you see him on TV he is smiling broadly.  Such as in the article where the Age interviewed him, Green W states that “Neale Daniher laughs, and whenever he does there is a sharp intake of air that resembles the sound of a vacuum cleaner catching on a rug.” He is always able to crack a joke such as when Green W opens the interview with how he heard Rodney Eade had been sacked and the first thing Neale does is call to his wife to “dust off [his] resume” with a cheeky grin.
2. Identify strengths - He uses his skills of determination and courage to be able to tackle challenges head on. We have seen this from his footy career into his fight for life against MND.  He believes in accepting responsibility for what happens to oneself is a strength he uses to fight feelings of defeat everyday.
3. Sets goals and Pursues Dreams - When he was diagnosed with mind his goal and dreams had to completely change and rather than just giving up he has set his sights on new goals that involve doing all he can to help others with this currently incurable disease.
4. Get involved with people and seek their help - When he was diagnosed with MND instead of just accepting his fate he chose to fight and raise awareness about this little known disease by becoming co-founder and patron of fightMND. By using his public status and his drive he has managed to raise vital funds for further research into finding a cure.
5. Have positive self talk - never say never - MND is not a man to pass along the blame for his circumstances; he strongly believes in learning from his situation and growing as a person. His positivity to life, even though he was dealt a tough hang, is so positive “Life’s good — but life doesn’t promise to be fair” he says.

Neale Daniher’s inspirational address to Melbourne players (2019) “taking responsibility means looking for the opportunity. When life gets difficult and you think it’s a train wreck, [that] there’s no opportunity — there’s always opportunity. I was diagnosed with a disease that will kill me. No treatment, no cure. No hope, some say. Where’s the opportunity?... My opportunity was to fight MND and that’s allowed me to prevail. It’s allowed me to find purpose, to transcend what’s happening to me.”

Scripture that reflects Neale’s story: Job 14:7 ‘For there is hope for a tree, if it is cut down, that it will sprout again, and that its shoots will not cease.

Neale Daniher was struck down by a debilitating disease where his life could have come to a complete halt. This is like the tree of hope being cut down. But this didn’t let him shrivel up and die.  Like the tree that sprouts after being cut down he started to fight and his shoots of determination made him go out and help establish FightMND and he hasn't stopped there similar to the shoots he continues to go out and give inspirational speeches to others.

Personal reflection

Before this project I barely knew anything about Neale Daniher, but coming to the end of this project and reflecting back on what I have learned I can see that Neale is truly inspirational. He is a person, that when faced with the debilitating curveball that life threw at him, takes the bull by the horns and fights to jump over these hurdles.  Being diagnosed with a life threatening disease and given a short time frame to live he doesn’t give up but uses this news to spur him on and play harder, just like in his footy career, to raise a multitude of funds and awareness for MND. And he does this knowing that he most likely won’t live long enough to benefit from the research done but knowing he will help others in the future.  Neil Daniher, the humorous guy, with powerful and insightful words, someone that shows true resilience and that I am in awe of and inspired by.