Boarding 

Last week we were delighted to host a Old Collegian and Boarding House Captain, Nikita Cavill. Nikita was delighted to return to the boarding house during our National Boarding Week celebrations and present to the boarders. 

Nikita delivered a speech to boarders and staff that was nothing short of inspiring, courageous, and heart-felt. Nikita has also kindly shared part of her speech with the community through the newsletter. 

Hi everyone,

I want to start off by saying how grateful I am to be invited back to speak to you all. My name is Nikita Cavill and I graduated here in 2019 and I was Rowing captain and Boarding House captain.

“I remember my first day here in Year 7. It was a nightmare. Don’t get me wrong I was so happy to be here because I never really got homesick, until I missed the bag trailer, my older brother forgot about me being here and no one else was around to walk with. Don’t forget that this was summer as well. I rang my parents to tell them the situation whilst trying to find my way back and control my sobbing. From that day on – right until I finished here - my bag was ready to go by lunch time and I was not missing that bag trailer ever again. And guess what? I never did!

I have many fond memories of this place, the friendships, the amazing teachers and boarding staff and to be honest, the accomplishments I achieved here, big or small. 

Before I left school, I wanted to be a Police Officer. That was my dream, I loved everything about it and in my mind, there truly wasn’t a better idea. I achieved a 77.84 ATAR, which for me showed my hard work had paid off. I have always been… I guess, stubborn in my thinking with what I want to do. I was so determined that I literally didn’t have a back-up plan. But things don’t always go to plan. I couldn’t get into the police force, then I fell into a hole and thought I would be stuck at our dairy farm for my whole life. But I had to make a choice, be happy and accept things as they are or damage myself and just put money and work first.

I was at home and I made the decision to start looking for other jobs. I found one at Australia Post as a box sorter. I thought great, something different, I can work there in the morning and work at home at night, perfect! I scored an interview with a very high and well-known manager at Australia Post. I had no interview experience for jobs whatsoever so I was terrified. Not only did I impress him enough to be a box sorter, but I landed a job as a Postal Services Officer. In that job, we serve, lodge tax file numbers, lodge passports, send money and parcels overseas and so much more. And from there I hit the ground running. I am the youngest by about 30 years! I will be 20 this weekend and next week I am the Acting Manager for the office. Within 8 months of working there, they think I am good enough to be a manager. 

Going back to being stubborn, I was so content on the idea of no Uni, and no more study. But now, I’m studying my Certificate IV in Accounting and Bookkeeping.

Now when I look back on my time here and think about how special it was to be here and how blessed I was here. All the support I could get, any time of the day. I miss the loud dinner times, the feeling of coming back for the start of term and the many things I learnt from peers and how to live with all sorts of different people, which has impacted my life massively. I miss this community and how comforting it is to be in an atmosphere as special as this. I know there are things you don’t want to do sometimes and think it won’t benefit you, I have been there. I promise those things usually turn out to be the best and that you learn the most from, even exams. It teaches you working under pressure, perfecting what you have started and most of all resilience, which builds and builds with every exam. The opportunity to learn the things you want and have resources around you that are put in place to care for you and ensure that you can have a future you will be proud of. There will always be ups and downs in schooling and in life but at the end of the day it all helps you to learn about what life is. I never saw myself in a position for my manager to say ‘it will be exciting to see where you are in your career in two year’s time.’

Go to Uni, go on that gap year, get that leadership position you have always wanted, get that job, help those people that you think need it most. Do things that you are passionate about, even if, like me, those things change.

Never compare yourself to what others are doing, focus on you and keep yourself happy and fulfilled. And most of all, be flexible.

Thank you.

Nikita Cavill (Boarding House and Rowing Captain 2019)

Andrew Monk

Director of Boarding