CELEBRATING FIRST NATIONS CULTURE 

It has been a busy time for our Indigenous students and the College. We have held our Scholarship Leaders Dinner, NAIDOC Assembly and attended the AIEF Year 12 Graduation in Sydney.

Scholarship Leaders Dinner

As usual our dinner was fantastic, with St Monica’s joining us for this event. Special thanks to our guest speaker Mrs Ilana Foster the mother of Nassar in Year 11 who is on an IYLP scholarship. Her two older sons, Kosta and Nelson, are Saints graduates who were also scholarship recipients. Ilana praised the College for what it has done for her boys. Kosta is in the Australian navy and  a new father, and Nelson is a fly-in-fly-out mine worker. Both older sons embraced the College and all that it offered. They were excellent students and key members of our sports teams. Ilana spoke of how St Augustine's instilled in her sons responsibility, resilience and perseverance.

Another speaker was Toby Prasad-Bollen, a 2023 graduate and an AIEF student. Toby spoke of the great times he had as a boarder, the friendships made and the importance of embracing the opportunities and challenges while at Saints. 

Kirtisha Foster, who is in Year 12 at St Monica's (SMC), delivered an inspiring talk. Her mother is an SMC graduate and her father, Stephen, is a Saints Old Boy. Kirtisha has completed a school-based traineeship and is now a qualified assistant nurse; congratulations on your persistence and dedication.

Special thanks to our student hosts: Ms Hera Petrou, in Year 12 at SMC, and Torres Sabatino, in Year 11. Both did an excellent job. Thank you for your courage and effort.

NAIDOC Assembly

Our much-anticipated NAIDOC Assembly was held in late July. Through our staff connections – namely Mr Anthony Cunneen, from boarding and maintenance –we invited Cairns magistrate and Old Boy, His Honour James Morton, to be our guest speaker. Mr Morton was a Saints student from 1985 to 1990.

You can view our assembly here, and Magistrate Morton's speech is at the 23.30 minute mark. I urge all parents and carers to listen to his refreshing speech.

The 2025 NAIDOC theme was The Next Generation: Strength, Vision and Legacy which I spoke to in my opening address.

JJ Parsgaard’s family travelled from Townsville and participated in the blessings and celebration, and the Lui family from Cairns accompanied our students in a cultural dance performance, which starts at the 39.50 minute mark.  

I thank Angelica Castillejos from AIEF for joining us for these celebrations, and my sincere gratitude to those who helped put the NAIDOC Assembly together.

AIEF Graduation

Our two graduating scholarship students, Jamie Keenan and Jack Honey, travelled to Sydney with Mr Sievers, Mr Toombs and me last month. The graduation ceremony was held at The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia from where we enjoyed beautiful views of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge.

Despite the cold and wet weather, the two-day visit – with guest speakers and networking opportunities – was inspiring, enlightening and encouraging. 

Thanks to the AIEF for their continued support of our scholarship students.