This extraordinary school

It is my pleasure to write this piece for the final Yiramalay newsletter for 2021.

Once again, I have not managed to travel to Yiramalay this year. I did get as close as Perth but was then caught in a lockdown due to COVID-19 and I caught the next flight back to Melbourne. That was in March. Since then, of course, it has largely been impossible to travel between Victoria and Western Australia.

I have kept in close contact with Matt Watson over this period and have heard of all the various activities, challenges and wonders of Yiramalay. The wet weather challenges. The successes of the U19 Kimberley Colts football championship and the Interschool Athletics Carnival for the Kimberley. The contributions made to Wangki Yupurnanupurra and the Bunuba Rangers Program.

My sincere congratulations are extended to our 2021 graduates Jason Baird, Hiki-Lee Kinley, and Rohan Watts. These young people have achieved something extraordinary in the face of a pandemic. They have my admiration and respect. Let’s hope 2022 can bring a closer connection between Melbourne and Yiramalay and that I can, once again, visit this extraordinary school.