Cheree Whymann: Yalari Student

I am a proud young Paakintji woman from Broken Hill in New South Wales. I was presented with a Yalari scholarship to attend Scotch College in Adelaide where I have studied for the past five years. I come from a big family of six kids with me being right in the middle.

Hope is such a strong word that is particularly relevant in my life. Coming from a small country town, I always hoped that I could be more than just another face down the street, more than a black kid, more than just a statistic. Hope is a necessary ingredient when achieving goals or just getting through the day.

Being a typical kid who wants to be known by all, I was certain that I would be the first ever black female Prime Minister. I would walk around my primary school with my head held high thinking to myself, 'these kids don’t know it yet, but they are going to school with someone who is gonna be famous!'

In order to follow these dreams, mum quickly realised I had to get out of town for schooling so I could make the most of my education and

"I always hoped that I could be more than just another face down the street — more than a black kid — more than just a statistic."

opportunities. While my aunty was at home for a weekend, I mentioned that I wanted to go away for high school so she found out about boarding school scholarships with an organisation called Yalari.

I clearly remember the next day, telling my mates I was applying for a scholarship to another school. I thought to myself, 'My whole life is about to change. Look out Canberra, here I come.' I was 12 years old.

Over the next couple of weeks, I had forgotten about my scholarship application and moved on thinking about other important things in my life, like: 'Which juice box would I take to school today? Apple or raspberry?' Every now and then mum would tell me that I was short-listed (but I had no idea what that meant). However, when the home interview came around, that’s when I knew it was starting to be real. The day before, we spotlessly cleaned the lounge room, kitchen and dining room as they were the only rooms that were going to be seen (and cleaning a house that belongs to a single mother of 6 kids is not an easy job, trust me). After the home interview, I was notified that I was going to Scotch College to meet the Principal and have an orientation. Upon arrival to the school, I recall my first excited thought — there was green grass everywhere! Later that day, when I left the school, I specifically remember a feeling of being accepted.

After I graduate in 2021, I am hoping to go to university in Adelaide, and study to become a teacher. Through personal experience, I have realised that a single teacher can have a positive impact on an individual’s journey within a school. I hope to be one of these teachers, inspiring my students to achieve their potential. I believe all the Yalari students, past and present, are living proof of this.

People's belief in Yalari has provided Llew and Waverley with the opportunity to give hope—to not only me—but hundreds of other Indigenous children.

Hope can be defined as a feeling of expectation and desire for a particular thing to happen. Waverley and Llew hoped the scholarship would provide young Indigenous children with the inspiration to dream big. They are creating generational change that will shape our future to be the best it could possibly be.

Martin Luther King once said, “Everything that is done in this world, is done by hope.”

It is this hope that unites and inspires us to create positive change for Indigenous people, and for our nation as a whole.

Thank you.

Cheree's Yalari journey is made possible by the generous support of Lipman Karas.

IMAGE TOP LEFT: CHEREE WHYMANN AND FAMILY IMAGE TOP MIDDLE: YALARI OUTBACK CAMP 2018 - LLEW MULLINS, CHEREE WHYMANN AND WAVERLEY STANLEY IMAGE TOP RIGHT: SCOTCH ADELAIDE STUDENTS - DELANEY DAGG (LEFT), CHEREE WHYMANN AND SHAHLEENA MARTIN