Our People in Our Community
Matilda Represents at Lions State Final
We were incredibly proud to see Year 12 student Matilda Waser compete at the Lions Youth of the Year Public Speaking State Final on Saturday 2 May in Frankston.
Representing Lions District 201V6, Matilda spoke with confidence, poise and authenticity on the state stage. Opportunities such as this not only develop public speaking skills, but also encourage young people to think critically, communicate with purpose and engage meaningfully with important issues.
Matilda represented herself, her family and our school community with distinction.
Congratulations, Matilda, on this fantastic accomplishment. Below is an extract from Matilda's Speech:
Before I begin my speech, I would like you all to just imagine for a moment that you are a farmer. It is the summer, and you have just spent two months working 14 hour days, 7 days a week to harvest your crops before Christmas. It is finally your period of rest; you have just eaten Christmas lunch with your family and are relaxing with a nice cool beer. Your phone rings. Suddenly you are in your Ute, racing down to the station. Your mind is reeling, who’s property is it? How far away from my land is it? You know everyone around here. Sirens blazing, you pull up to the fire, pull on your mask, roll the hose out and get on with it. Five hours later you pull back into your driveway, covered in soot. Your exhausted, but at least the Brown’s still have their home.
Good morning, everyone, My name is Matilda and today I am going to talk about the Victorian Governments ridiculous introduction of the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund.
At the beginning of last year, the Victorian Government announced this fund to replace the Fire Services Property Levy currently in place. Unfortunately, the fund is more than just a name change and I, along with many other rural land and business owners, were extremely troubled to learn the new fund will cost rate payers significantly more, at a time when people can least afford it.
A substantial increase in the levy will place an undue financial burden on all of our families, yet we know that there are many in our community that are already grappling with the rising cost of living. Estimates indicate significant levy increase for many ratepayers, homeowners will see an increase by 29%, industrial land will attract a 49% increase, commercial ratepayers will be hit with a 75% increase and farmers will be slugged with a whopping 189% increase in costs associated with the levy. While all landowners will pay more, farmers are disproportionately impacted.
Now you might be thinking: I’m not a farmer, so how does this affect me? Farmers are critical for the existence of human civilisation, and this isn’t an argument about who’s more important, but farmers are essential for humans to survive, and they contribute just as much, if not more to society than doctors or policeman. If you still don’t believe me, I now encourage you to reflect on what you ate for breakfast. The milk you had in your cereal or coffee this morning – came from an Australian farmer. The steak and veggies you had for dinner last night? More than likely –came from an Australian farmer. Even the cotton or wool clothes you are currently wearing, were all produced by a farmer.
Cedric Shines at Moira Awards
We are incredibly proud of Year 11 student Cedric Pang, who recently spoke at the Moira Achiever Awards.
During his presentation, Cedric shared his personal volunteering journey and reflected on the importance of young people becoming actively involved in their communities — whether through school, sport, local organisations or even volunteering opportunities abroad.
Cedric encouraged others to remain open to new experiences and opportunities, while also speaking about the positive impact volunteering has had on his own life and personal growth. He also highlighted the importance of recognising and celebrating the many volunteers who make a difference within our communities every day.
Congratulations, Cedric, on representing both yourself and Cobram Anglican Grammar School with such maturity, confidence and pride.
Cobram Regional Care Anzac Day Service
A group of Year 9 students represented our school at Cobram Regional Care’s ANZAC Day ceremony on Thursday 30 April.
Although it was a relatively small service, it provided a meaningful opportunity for residents to come together and pay their respects to those who have served our nation. Our students greatly valued the chance to connect with residents and share in the occasion during the beautiful autumn sunshine.
A special thank you to Kaden Anderson and Alison Orwin, who delivered the opening and closing prayers at the service. You both spoke beautifully and represented our school community with great pride and respect.
We thank Cobram Regional Care for welcoming our students to be part of this important commemorative event.
