Academic Care & Wellbeing
Committee 4 Wagga
Congratulations to Chloe Barnes and William Kerr for completing the Committee 4 Wagga School Leaders Program this year. The impact of this worthwhile initiative was clearly evident for both students at the Program Graduation, where each displayed a growth in confidence through very impressive public speaking skills. It was wonderful to see how proud they were of their achievements and the gratitude they felt for the experiences the Program had provided them. The Program has clearly helped these young people develop deeper insight into what it means to be an authentic leader and how to work as a team. Both students particularly enjoyed expanding their social networks with like minded peers across our local secondary schools. They also benefited from developing a better understanding of our local community, including more awareness about the different industries and employment opportunities available.
About Committee 4 Wagga
The Committee 4 Wagga is a member based, self-funded, independent organisation representing over fifty member organisations that collectively employ over 4,500 people.
Committee 4 Wagga works with the community, local businesses and all levels of government to champion positive change for a better city.
Our core objectives are to:
Enhance the quality of life within Wagga Wagga
Enable the community to initiate and effect positive change
Develop and expand a leadership base
Facilitate the interaction of community, business and government
Support a flexible and creative business culture
Partner to develop city infrastructure
Position Wagga Wagga internationally
About the Wagga School Leaders Program
The Board of Management of the Committee 4 Wagga believes that it is vital to provide
opportunities for development to not only young professionals in the early years of their
career, but also to younger community members, those still participating in secondary
Education. The School Leaders Program is a Committee 4 Wagga initiative, supported by
significant financial and resource investment from local businesses and the Charles
Sturt University.
The Committee 4 Wagga recognised the importance of community leaders taking responsibility for the development of our city’s future leaders by providing opportunities such as this program to develop young, aspiring high school students into positive, successful ambassadors for the city. The Program was launched in 2016 and 2026 was the eleventh year of participation.
Bookended by the Orientation Session and Launch in February and the Graduation Function Friday 12th June, students selected by the participating Wagga Wagga high schools attended six single-day sessions and one evening session across the course of the first half of the school year, with each of the seven modules of the curriculum designed to achieve different learning outcomes.
The Program engaged students in a series of challenging exercises including workshops, lectures, regional industry excursions, physical activities and mentoring sessions to develop their capacity to become successful leaders and community representatives.
Participation in the School Leaders Program should assist participants to analyse their strengths and areas for development; enable them to set personal and vocational goals; and, develop their self-awareness and self-confidence to ensure those goals are achieved.
The group recently celebrated graduation with a night at Waggas Magpies Nest. Each graduate had an opportunity to highlight an aspect of their journey through a speech.
I have attached the speeches with the permission of Chloe and William.
Chloe Barnes’ Speech:
Good evening mentors, guests, parents and peers.
Conversations usually begin with a question, but not all questions are created equal. Some are simple, some are casual. But the best ones lead to understanding.
When was the last time you asked someone a question? Not just something like their favourite colour, or what sport they played on the weekend, but a question that actually made them think, and made you listen?
Personally, I’m always asking questions, especially when it comes to guest speakers. If we back track to Module 1, when we were informed that a ‘special guest’ was coming in and encouraged us to prepare questions, I took that quite literally. I had guessed it was Michael McCormack, and I ended up with almost a page of questions ready.
It ended up feeling less like a talk and more like a back-and-forth conversation. I asked him about things like the fuel crisis, attracting ophthalmologists to Wagga, developments around Gobbagombalin, and even how it would cost around $775 million just to duplicate the Gobba bridge. I even asked about how to start a political journalism career, where his first response was “don’t,” but then came the real insight.
However, what stood out most wasn’t just his answers, but the way he answered them. With purpose.
In another module, we had Mayor Dallas Tout speak to us, focusing on volunteering and why young leaders like us should engage more with the community. Both guest speakers reinforced something important: leadership isn’t just about speaking. It's about listening. That was the word I noticed most across all of our guest talks.
And that brings me to something I discussed with my mentor Amy last module: Understanding. Because if you don’t understand something, you’re not really listening. And if you’re not listening, you’re not learning. And if you’re not learning, you’re not growing as a leader.
So really, it all starts with understanding.
Lastly, I'd like to finish by thanking all of our guest speakers throughout this program. You’ve not only shared your experiences with us, but you’ve helped us understand what it truly means to listen, to ask better questions, and to grow into better leaders because of it.
William Kerr’s Speech:
This is my speech about the leaderships shields about our values and moral and important symbols in our lives. - Will Kerr
A leadership shield is a personal symbol that represents who you are as a person and as a leader. It's like a coat of arms but instead of representing a family or a kingdom, it represents you, your values, your experiences and the things that matter most to you. You design it yourself by choosing symbols, colours and images that each mean something personal, and together they tell your story. Every part of the shield is intentional and has a reason behind it, which makes it unique to every single person because no two people have the same story.
For my shield, the shape was chosen because I'm 100% Scottish, so a traditional heraldic shield felt right. The dogs represent loyalty, which is the most important value to me, and that ties in with the Kerr family motto Sero Sed Serio from my Scottish roots. The apple tree represents peace, the family heart is there because family is one of the most important things in my life, and fire represents the passion and drive I have for the things I care about. The globe reflects my love of travel and the top section is all about friendship, showing the things I love doing with my mates like basketball and the gym, because my friends have genuinely helped shape who I am. I left that section in grey and white on purpose to give it a nostalgic feel, as a reminder of all the good times we've shared.
Creating my shield was honestly one of the most reflective things I've done because it forced me to think about who I am and what actually matters to me. Choosing each symbol made me ask questions I probably wouldn't have thought to ask otherwise, and seeing it all laid out made it clear how much my heritage, my family and my friends have shaped my identity. Most importantly it helped me realise that loyalty sits above everything else for me, and it runs through almost every symbol on my shield. My WSLP leadership shield helped me understand who I am, and that's what made the whole experience so valuable.
Matthew Conn | Leader of Student Academic Care