Educating Indigenous Children
®
Dreaming, believing inspiring and achieving
Yalari
NEWS
ISSUE NO. 49 | March 2021
Y E A R S
Welcome
Founding Director | Waverley Stanley AM
Our Ideal is Real Welcome to our first newsletter for 2021. It’s a new year with new opportunities, new growth, and new a transition for Year 7 students beginning at their respective boarding schools. There are new challenges for our returning students with extended study commitments, and a final year for our Year 12 students. And, of course, our graduates from 2020 are finding their way postschool, with many beginning tertiary studies this month. We wish everyone the very best as we follow a year full of surprises, changed plans and adjustments. Our resilience was tested, and many of us personally and Llew and Waverley with Cara Jones (Year 8, The Glennie School)
professionally had to extend ourselves and find gratitude to be the best version of ourselves each day. This year Yalari celebrates 16 years of service to the education and empowerment of Indigenous children, young people and alumni from regional, rural and remote communities throughout Australia. I’m confident that in 2021 it’s no longer a novelty to have Indigenous students at private boarding schools. In fact, I’d go as far as to say it’s now the norm. Let us continue to change the narrative as individuals and as committed Australians to ensure that we reflect a very inclusive and compassionate society. To everyone involved with Yalari over the years, and to our very new supporters, thank you for believing in the ideal of making a difference in the lives of our children, young people and alumni. Our ideal is real, and your belief is making a better present and a brighter future for all Australians.
Waverley with students from Kinross Wolaroi School, Orange
Acknowledgement
Educating Indigenous Children
Yalari acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first inhabitants of this land. We recognise the culture, history, diversity and deep connection to land, waters and territorial seas of Australia.
Yalari is a not-for-profit organisation that offers quality, secondary education scholarships at leading Australian boarding schools for Indigenous children from regional, rural and remote communities.
We pay our respects to the Elders, past and present, and acknowledge the Yalari office is on Kombumerri country within the lands of the Yugambeh language group of the wider area. We also acknowledge the traditional custodians of the lands on which we work Australia-wide, and recognise their culture, heritage and beliefs.
We believe education is the key to generational change and a brighter future for Indigenous Australians and for our nation as a whole.
Yalari Limited | PO BOX 1355, Oxenford QLD 4210 | Ph: 07 5665 8688 | F: 07 5665 8611 | E: info@yalari.org ABN: 66 113 794 148 ACN: 113 794 148 | Yalari is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee. Copyright © 2021 Yalari Limited. All rights reserved. The information contained in this newsletter is for general information purposes only. The opinions and interpretations expressed within are those of the author only and may not reflect those of other identified parties. Every effort is made to ensure that information is accurate at time of printing.
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Yalari - Educating and Empowering Indigenous Children
Cover Image: Year 10 St Hilda’s School (Gold Coast) student, Sasha Thomsen-Currie. Sasha’s Yalari journey is made possible by the generosity David, Philippa, Nicola and Craig.
Leading | Educating Empowering
YALARI CAPTAINS
It is with great pleasure that we announce the Yalari Captains for 2021. Seventeen Yalari scholars from years 11 and 12 have been chosen for the role based on qualities such as responsible behaviour, leadership, involvement with their school communities and acting as role models for other students. A Yalari Captain is expected to act as a mentor to other Yalari students and as an ambassador for Yalari, all the while demonstrating the Yalari values of compassion, openness, respect, resilience, inclusiveness and excellence. Congratulations to all our captains! We wish you the very best in your new leadership roles.
Seferina Whap
The Glennie School
Anna Robinson
Braydon Mundy
Cassandra Peris
Cheree Whymann
Damon Germon
Elyne Tighe
Felicity Hodges
Holly Coffison
Kinross Wolaroi School
The Southport School
Moigida Loban Churchie
Shauna Dhagapan John Paul College
Shore
St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School
Neveah Mills
Clayfield College
Sophie Oakeshott Abbotsleigh
Geelong Grammar School
Scots PGC, Warwick
Reghan Bayles Toowoomba Grammar School
Troy Brown
Geelong Grammar School
Scotch College, Adelaide
St Hilda’s School
Scott Taat
Scots PGC, Warwick
Tyler Slater
Scotch College, Adelaide
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Yalari Newsroom
Introducing...
OUR INDIGENOUS LEADERS OF TOMORROW
This year, we welcomed 45 new students to the Yalari scholarship program. We are pleased to introduce a few members of Yalari’s class of 2026!
Kahleyah Buckle
Mya Richards
Methodist Ladies College, Claremont
The Glennie School
“I have a friendly personality and always have a smile on my face. I want to go to boarding school to get the best education I possibly can. I know that will happen if I go to boarding school.”
I am proud of my Aboriginal culture because we are unique. Our culture is old and my ancestors were the first people here. We have a strong connection to the land.”
Codi Whap
Tabitha Tabuai
Anglican Church Grammar School
The Glennie School
“When I’m older I would like to go to America to study and learn new things. I want to make my family proud of me.
“My nan is my role model. She has always been there for me since I was a baby.
I want to become a role model to my family and friends and also to my community and culture.”
I want to go to boarding school because when I graduate, I would love to be a police officer because it has always been my dream.”
Chelsea Larsen
Tate Pyziakos
St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School
The Southport School
“I would love to be a good mentor in my community for other kids, especially Indigenous kids to show them that if they try really hard at school, they would be able to go on and achieve their dreams like I did.”
“I look up to Jonathan Thurston because he helps out Aboriginal kids and he makes a difference. He has done a lot of work off the field. When I’m older I would like to do engineering and design or architecture.”
Chayse Johnson
Thomas Fernando
St Ignatius’ College, Riverview
Kinross Wolaroi School, Orange
“I look up to my great grandfather and I love his stories and how he tells me about our history.
“I want to go to boarding school because I want a better education for myself and I would also like to be challenged.
When I’m older, I look forward to studying art at university.”
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“I want to be a doctor and I think boarding school will teach me good habits with my study.
Yalari - Educating and Empowering Indigenous Children
I am very proud of being Indigenous and I’m fascinated about how our ancestors looked after and took care of our lands.”
Noah Smith, Year 12 Churchie student,
Tilly David St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School “I am a descendant of King Kebisu. My family are proud speakers of the Kulealgau Ya language. I want to be someone that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children can look up to.”
Yalari Scholarships for Indigenous Children Montana Hookey, Year 7 student at St Hilda’s School, received the most valuable player award for QGSSSA Volleyball 2020 Year 7B.
Yalari Dinners and Corporate Golf D Lexi Wilson Abbotsleigh “I think it’s important to get an education as it gives us knowledge about the world. It teaches us how we can make the world a better place for others. When I’m older I want to get a job that helps others, like a police officer or a paramedic.”
Glenn Croker Geelong Grammar School “I want to go to boarding school to have better opportunities for my education and future. I am really looking forward to meeting new friends and playing new sports.”
Jayden Ah Boo Anglican Church Grammar School “I look up to Patty Mills because he is a successful Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander playing in the NBA. He inspires me to stay healthy and try my hardest. I want to go to boarding school to get a better education and to make my family proud.”
Noah Allan, Year 12 scholar at Riverview in Sydney has been awarded Yalari is looking for students and families who believe the Kambri Scholarship that education is the key to providing a better future for National at Australian University in recognition Indigenous people in Australia. of his efforts at school, his proud connection Applications for boarding school scholarships are open to culture, and to Indigenous children who live in regional, rural or his clear ambition.
remote areas of Australia and who will be starting Year 7 in 2022.
Our scholarships are awarded to students who are willing to give 100%, try hard at everything they do, don’t give up when things get hard and are brave and determined enough to succeed at boarding school. We work closely with our students, families and partner schools to provide a high level of support in all aspects of student welfare. Scholarship information including the application pack for scholarships commencing in 2022 are available online at www.yalari.org. Applications close Wednesday 30 April 2021. Not sure what to do or have some questions? Please call our friendly student support team on (07) 5665 8688 and they will be happy to guide you through the application process. Yalari News - March 2021
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dexo and Yalari: Ex-
oring a Partnership
Yalari Pathways
Inaugural Yalari
Alumni Summit The Alumni Summit was an opportunity for Yalari alumni to meet and discuss the ways in which Yalari’s work continues in perpetuity as they take charge of the ongoing stewardship of the organisation. By 2035, Yalari will have developed an alumni of over 1,000 Indigenous young people. This group will be powerfully connected to one another through the Yalari community and are uniquely placed to change perceptions of Indigenous Australia in a positive way, to contribute to the maturity of Australia as a unified nation and an economically just society for all.
INAUGURAL ALUMNI SUMMIT
The summit aimed to encourage strong engagement with some, if not all, alumni in direct activity with Yalari. The summit also aimed to outline what a Yalari Alumni Association might look like and how it will operate. This event is a great starting point to gather ideas and build support and mentoring pathways for the alumni group. The summit also enabled attendees to workshop how they can give back to the Yalari community, while empowering their own. At the end of the event, attendees gained insight and information to help inform the Yalari Pathways development.
Back (L to R): Holly Austin, Rekisha Satour, Zac Collins-Widders, Lori Clevens, Lincoln Whiteley Middle (L to R): Kelsie Mahon, Taneale Lawton, Ian Brown, Elizabeth Mahon, Toby Saunders Front (L to R): Danika Green, Indy Peters, Kayla Baker-Peris, Rickelle Peris
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11-13 DECEMBER 2020
Yalari - Educating and Empowering Indigenous Children
MT TAMBORINE CONFERENCE CENTRE, GOLD COAST
14 PARTICIPANTS
This included: •
Personal and corporate growth
•
Cultural awareness and a sense of self
•
Alumni engagement plan and continued support amongst fellow alumni
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Inspiration to empower others
•
Pathway development
•
A focus on wellbeing.
Thank you to all alumni who attended this event to help cement the future of the Yalari Pathways and Alumni programs.
Student Support and Development
P M A C 0 1 YEAR Gratitude: The quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness... ...and with that in mind, we kicked off our Year 10 ‘Pay-ItForward’ Camp, welcoming 30 of our Year 10 students to the Mount Tamborine Conference Centre on the Gold Coast. This camp is especially important as it provides a meaningful way for students to look beyond themselves and give something back. They are encouraged to think creatively in order to fundraise for another Indigenous student. It is a great opportunity to assist other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people to get a great education through a Yalari scholarship. During the course of the two-day camp, students completed team building activities and worked together to brainstorm pay-it-forward ideas and action plans. We extend a huge thank you to our camp sponsors, The Cody Foundation who have proudly sponsored the Year 10 Camp since 2018. Thank you for your continuing belief and support of our children.
Did you know? The Pay-It-Forward initiative began eight years ago when Waverley challenged the Year 10 class of 2013 to collectively raise $20,000 between them, to pay for the first year of a new student’s boarding and tuition fees at a Yalari partner school. And guess what? They did it! Spurred on by the goal already set, our Year 10 students over the years have continued with all sorts of ideas for raising funds. Why is paying-it-forward so important? It’s because as members of society we all should give back, or pay-it-forward in some way, especially when we have been given so much ourselves.
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Student Support and Development
P M A C N O I T A T N E I R 2021 O d understanding an g n ki in th of p m ca e Th t | 11-15 January 2021
ld Coas The Southport School, Go
Now in its 15th year, the Yalari Orientation Camp forms an integral part of the overall student support program. New students are introduced to boarding school life throughout the five-day camp, and are equipped with tools and strategies to help them succeed at boarding school. This year, despite our numbers being reduced due to COVID-19 border restrictions, our spirits remained high as we welcomed another year of scholarship recipients to the Yalari family. “This year, the Orientation Camp on the Gold Coast was one to remember! I was one of the leaders on the camp, with seven other Year 11 students. Having this opportunity and taking part in the camp was super fun and it was also good for me to meet the new students that will attend The Glennie School this year. Besides that, the camp showed me how to have the leadership to help the younger students and tell them what to expect at their new school and how boarding school will happen for the next five years.“ Seferina Whap (top left) with her fellow Orientation Camp Senior Leaders
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Yalari - Educating and Empowering Indigenous Children
- Seferina Whap (Year 11, The Glennie School)
For the third year, Envato Foundation has generously sponsored the Yalari Senior Leaders Camp, a two-day leadership course for Yalari Captains. The course takes place prior to Orientation Camp and helps leaders provide support and guidance to the incoming Year 7 students. Attendees focused on improving skills and confidence in areas including communication, leadership development and organisation. Thank you Envato Foundation for giving these young leaders an opportunity to learn, grow and lead with assurance.
camp facts 76
students
34 new scholars
34 returning scholars 8 senior school leaders Travel
76 students travelled 82,080km
from the farthest reaches of Australia!
Thank you... Thank you to all our supporters, volunteers and staff for being there from the beginning, as our new students embark on their Yalari journey. We gratefully acknowledge and humbly thank our 2021 Yalari Orientation Camp sponsors. Without their invaluable contribution and support, we would be unable to provide this vital program to our Indigenous students. Thank you.
The Leroy and Joy Brauer PERPETUAL CHARITABLE TRUST
What’s it about? To provide new Year 7 students with the opportunity to learn about boarding school life in an environment where they can feel safe, can be inquisitive and can share the journey with other scholarship recipients. To provide our Year 8 returning students with the opportunity to offer experience and advice to the new students. Returning students can also reconnect with their Yalari peers and strengthen their support networks. To offer Yalari Year 11 and 12 students leadership opportunities. Selected students are able to become leaders, mentors and role models for the younger students throughout the camp. To provide opportunities for Yalari alumni to participate and ‘give back’. Their stories and advice are invaluable for our young students and also offers them encouragement and inspiration.
Yalari News - March 2021
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To Educate, To Inspire, To Make a Difference
Back (L to R): Mr Norm Kerley (Deputy Headmaster), Shelley Hunt, Andrew Casey, Koolee Harbour, Stephen Bush-Blanasi, Mia Nakata, Kyoshi Nakata-Binjuda, Shauna Dhagapan, Mr Anthony Doidge (Indigenous Education Coordinator) Front: (L to R): Possa Drummond, Harmony Bush, Ginaya Fernando, Peter Sambono, Laura McGrady, Anaiyah Vaculka
JPC offers a rich and diverse curriculum that enables Indigenous children to become confident, committed members of the community while remaining firmly grounded in their cultural roots.
HARMONY BUSH
Year 7 Yalari scholar at JPC Hi, I’m Harmony and I am from Babinda in Queensland. I grew up on my grandfather’s country which is central Arnhem Land and by Nana’s country in Blue Mud Bay. I want to go to boarding school because it will be good for me and I will get a good education and a better future. I also look forward to meeting new people. I am so excited by the bigger school environment at JPC that will guide me to a better pathway of learning. When I am older I would like to go to university and study to become a teacher for younger kids in remote areas.
The partnership between Yalari and JPC began in 2015, when two Year 7 Yalari scholars moved into the brand-new boarding village. The boarding facilities and school environment were so well received by our scholars, the Yalari cohort has expanded to 13. “John Paul College and Yalari enjoy an outstanding partnership because the students are motivated to be here and they connect very well with our ethos,” explains Deputy Headmaster, Mr Norm Kerley.
created authentic spaces and symbols which represent Indigenous cultures. These include a yarning circle, a bush tucker grove and Indigenous gardens. “The are a wonderful influence in our boarding village and contribute to all aspects of boarding life,” Mr Kerley says. All the way from the community of Thursday Island, Possa Drummond has just started her first year at JPC. “I want to go to John Paul College so I can get a better education and get a good job when I grow up,” she says. “I look forward to learning about other cultures and languages at school.”
The school encourages the students to share their culture and help raise awareness among the non-Indigenous members of the school community. Throughout the campus, they have Possa Drummond
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Yalari - Educating and Empowering Indigenous Children
Partner Schools
ABOUT
Y E A R S
Educating Indigenous Children
®
Dreaming, believing inspiring and achieving
Working together since 2015 to educate and empower Indigenous children
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Current Yalari Scholars
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New students in 2021
2015 Partnership formed
JOHN PAUL COLLEGE There is a deep sense of pride in wearing the burgundy and blue for all who are part of the John Paul College (JPC) family. Built by the community for the community, their values are defined in t he school motto Unity | Christ | Learningand remain as strong today as they were when the school opened in 1982. Located 20 minutes south of Brisbane’s CBD, the JPC campus features extensive natural bushland and modern facilities to support a cutting-edge technology program and wideranging cultural and sporting opportunities. JPC’s close proximity to the CBD ensures convenient and local bus routes are available in the local area for students. JPC delivers a contemporary co-educational curriculum grounded in traditional values from Early Learning to Year Twelve. Students are at the heart of all they do, and this is reflected in their purpose: to educate, to inspire, to make a difference.
Waverley, Llew and the JPC crew!
Founding Director of Yalari, Waverley Stanley is pleased to see the Yalari students, most of whom are from remote areas of Australia, be supported and nurtured by the school community. “We are so proud to be part of JPC’s growing Indigenous program which offers our students a unique mix of education and support, culture and empowerment,” he says. And the JPC community really do ‘walk-the-walk’, having attending several of Yalari’s fundraising dinners and events. “We are very grateful for the support JPC has shown not only to our
children, but to our organisation as a whole,” Waverley says. Seven years on, it is easy to see why the Yalari/JPC association is a long and rewarding one. “Yalari and John Paul College have united in our support of Indigenous students and we look forward to welcoming further students in the future, watching them graduate and following them as they find their own special place in the world,” Mr Kerley says. “They will always be part of the John Paul College family and of our worldwide alumni network.”
MRS KAREN SPILLER OAM CF Principal of John Paul College
John Paul College is proud to partner with Yalari. Together, we are educating and empowering Indigenous children from as far as Thursday Island, and as wide as the Northern Territory. It is wonderful to witness how these students are using this opportunity to embrace life at JPC and to change their lives.
Yalari News - March 2021
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Yalari Alumni
Catching up
with our inspiring alumni...
Lincoln Whiteley
Class of 2013 | St Ignatius’ College Riverview
I’m a Yalari alumnus from 2013 and I’m excited about my new role within Yalari as the Pathways Coordinator and Student Support Officer for the fellas at The Southport School. I feel very fortunate and grateful to be where I am now; I know that I would not be where I am without the sacrifices people have made for me and more significantly without the educational opportunities that I’ve had access to. I graduated from Saint Ignatius’ College Riverview in 2013 and have since been keeping myself busy. With many little part-time jobs while studying at the University of Sydney to working for the university as a Recruitment Assistant for the International Student Recruitment Team, I then moved onto the Aurora Education Foundation where I supported Indigenous high school students from Western Sydney. I am very excited to be back with Yalari — it seems a lot has changed however many of the core values and goals remain the same. I look forward to contributing to the Pathways Team and Student Support Team offering my own experiences and strengthening student support and pathways opportunities for our students and alumni network.
Kayla Brown
Class of 2014 | Calrossy Anglican School
I have completed my bachelor of primary and early childhood teaching degree and was appointed a full time permanent teaching position at Elermore Vale Public School in Newcastle. I teach a Year 2 class and I’m absolutely loving it! My goal when starting at Yalari was to become a teacher. I am forever grateful for the opportunity Yalari have given me to achieve my aspirations and make a change to the lives of Indigenous and nonIndigenous students every single day.
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Yalari - Educating and Empowering Indigenous Children
Yalari Alumni
Monique Mallyer
Class of 2016 | St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School
During 2020, I was working as a disability support worker, of course taking extra precautions during the height of the pandemic in Brisbane. As I was working as a casual, I was able to finish my degree in November last year, receiving a Bachelor of Human Services – majoring in Child and Family Studies at the University of Southern Queensland. I worked throughout the holidays before landing a full-time role as a Family Participation Program (FPP) worker at Kambu Health in Ipswich. It is a role within the child protection space, working with families to create and maintain safe family arrangements, aiming to keep
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children out of care and with their families. I am loving it due to having a deadly team and a supportive manager. It is a physically and emotionally challenging area to work in, but the positives and rewards are worth the hard work. I look forward to coming to work every day, working within an Indigenous organisation, and working to reduce the overrepresentation of our people within the Child Safety space. I graduated from school in 2016 and I believe Yalari to be the hand that helped me progress further in life than I ever could have imagined. After five years, I still am so grateful to Waverley, Llew and the entire Yalari family for what they have done and continue to do for our young people. I look forward to watching Yalari continue to do amazing things and what can be achieved from our future graduates and current alumni.
Jazleen David de Busch
Class of 2015 | St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School
Since graduating from St Margaret’s in 2015 I have been on a journey of exploration and self discovery. I have discovered one of my passions which is storytelling – this has guided me to study, learn, work and engage with creative story telling practices throughout a variety of mediums. I am currently studying a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting) at Queensland University of Technology. I’m in my second year and am learning to become a storyteller who is connected, embodied and truthful throughout my artistic practice. I have also started my own online business called Maringla where I create wearable art with a focus on Indigenous storytelling from my family and communities. My aim of this work is to share my passion for the arts with my family, communities and friends. It has been a massive job from creating statement pieces, to developing a website and to understanding how small business operates but it has been worth it because I love sharing my love of art and storytelling. On another note, I will be playing the lead role of Daisy Cusack in a production by The Storey Players based in Melbourne inspired by my ‘Craigie’ family in Western Queensland. I am very honoured to be playing my Great, Great Grandmother – Nana Daisy and share my family’s story. This has also inspired me to start writing short plays which also tell the stories of my family and Indigenous communities. Maybe one day I’ll write about my Yalari experience and St Margaret’s too! My experience as a Yalari scholar enabled me to experience the arts at St Margaret’s and I am forever grateful for the support from my family, Yalari, my sponsors John and Barbra Hay as well as the St Margaret’s community particularly Lesa Fowler, Noel Peinke, Lisa Smith and Sandra Johnston who gave my sister and me support and guidance throughout our schooling experience. It has opened doors for me and allowed me to be the creator and collaborator I am today.
Yalari News - March 2021
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Partners, Donors and Sponsors
Full Circle Impact First Nations education initiatives lead to Indigenous career experience
Over the summer of 2020, Tyrese Carr, a recent graduate of Kinross Wolaroi School and beneficiary of Humanitix’s Indigenous scholarships funding, headed to the Humanitix office for a five-week paid internship to learn about technology and sales. The team was so excited to welcome Tyrese (as you can see in the picture above), as it meant bringing the organisation’s charitable impact full-circle. Not only are they funding education for students in the First Nations community, but also providing career opportunities and training for graduates of the Yalari program. At the end of the internship, Humanitix asked Tyrese to reflect on his summer internship. “My name is Tyrese Carr. I’m a proud Tubba-Gah man from the Wiradjuri nation and a recent high school graduate. I was lucky enough to start my internship with Humanitix a few days after graduating from Kinross Wolaroi school. I was on the Yalari scholarship from Year 7-12, which gave me exposure to living out of home in a boarding house for many years. The scholarship has honestly changed my life, and I can speak on behalf of everyone I know who also graduated from Yalari, that the opportunities it created for us are amazing. To be able to intern with Humanitix and see how a tech-charity operates was a great opportunity and I’m glad I took it — not only am I gaining great experience, the work that I’ve done is for a great social enterprise with an amazing cause. The first few weeks were very interesting and exciting. I got to see firsthand how businesses are operating and handling the pandemic, especially in the events industry. I have been helping the sales team source leads, sitting in on meetings and product demos, and any other tasks that needed to be done (except doing the coffee rounds which they surprisingly didn’t ask me to do!).
Despite the fact that everyone in the office is at least 5-10 years older than me I didn’t feel like the outcast – it’s such a positive work environment and it’s quite infectious. Most of the office is trying to keep a healthy lifestyle by going to the gym and eating healthy — it has motivated me to do the same. There were also some challenges that I faced with the working life. Commuting from Bankstown to North Sydney wasn’t my favourite. I struggled to adapt to the daily travel — it was a big difference from the boarding house where I only needed to walk downstairs to get to school each day! Time management is something I have identified as one of my biggest weaknesses, and I’m glad I came across it at 18 instead of fresh out of uni, so I can start to work on it now. Intrinsically, I find that contributing to my Indigenous community through the work at Humanitix feels like I’m ‘paying it forward’, as Waverley Stanley, Yalari’s founder, often said. It’s an awesome life experience and the founders and the team at Humanitix have taken time to sit down with me to give me advice and mentorship. I’ve learnt a lot and had some remarkable experiences throughout the internship, on both personal and also professional levels. To have an experience like this while being so young is something I’ll take with me for a long time. I’d like to thank Josh, Adam and the Humanitix team for giving me this opportunity, and also for all they do for the Indigenous community.” – Tyrese Carr (Tubba-Gah, Wiradjuri Nation), Humanitix intern & Indigenous scholarships program graduate.
a special gift... Yalari is honoured to be the beneficiary of a generous donation in honour of the late Patricia Flynn. Patricia was a teacher who wanted to inspire and help Indigenous children pursue a career in teaching. Patricia’s grandchildren attended Kinross Wolaroi School in Orange, where they befriended Yalari students and learnt more about the Yalari cause.
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Yalari - Educating and Empowering Indigenous Children
Mary Boydell Endowment Fund Giving today for a stronger tomorrow Create your personal legacy... Like all gifts that benefit Yalari, endowed gifts contribute to the ongoing high quality of educational opportunities and support for Indigenous children. Endowments are particularly powerful because they deliver a dependable, perpetual source of funding. Your gift to Yalari’s Mary Boydell Endowment Fund (MBEF) is an investment in the future of Yalari—one that fulfills our shared vision of educating and empowering Indigenous children now and for many years to come. For a confidential discussion about how you can transform the lives of Indigenous children, please call Lou Wilson - Endowment Fund Executive. 0414 471 362
endowment@yalari.org
www.yalari.org/MBEF
Partners, Donors and Sponsors
CAREER PATHWAYS IN ROBOTICS AND AI We were excited to welcome Australian Unmanned Systems Academy (AUSA) to present at our recent Year 10 Camp on Mount Tamborine and discuss the exciting Remote Pilot Aircraft Systems training pathways available to Yalari students. AUSA is the education and training organisation of V-TOL Aerospace, delivering tertiary level career pathway courses for remote pilot training and drone operations for those wanting to commence their professional career in robotics.
Trey Pettersen (middle jacket) and the team at FTI Consulting
INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR YALARI ALUMNI
We are grateful to Mark Xavier and his team for showing our Yalari students the significant career opportunities in the emerging robotics & AI through its certificate level courses.
The valuable support of our corporate partners ensures Yalari students are mentored and encouraged to succeed, even after they complete Year 12. FTI Consulting invited Trey Pettersen (Yalari alumnus, 2016) to complete a threeweek summer internship program at their Sydney office. Trey’s duties not only included learning about the business and engaging in project work, but also included offsite visits to the ABC to meet the NSW Deputy News Editor, Julia Feder, and Indigenous Communities reporter, Nakari Thorpe, Liberal MP Trent Zimmerman and his media advisor, Hugo Robinson, and the Centre for Independent Studies Executive Director and ABC presenter, Tom Switzer. WOW! What an experience! It was also great to hear that FTI staff learnt a lot from Trey, who shared his stories about his life, study and experiences. Thank you to FTI Consulting for facilitating such an amazing internship experience. We also wish Trey the best as he heads back to his political science studies at university.
MORETON BAY COLLEGE FUNDRAISER For their 2021 Service Day, the girls in Alison Greene House and Drewe House at Morton Bay College (MBC) organised some fun lunchtime activities for the secondary students.
V-TOL Aerospace Managing Director, Mark Xavier also had the opportunity to catchup with St Margaret’s student Shemyliah Ahmat. Shemyliah is sponsored by Mark and his group of 11 friends, named ‘Opportunity 12’.
Through generous donations and sales on the day, students raised over $1,000 for Yalari. A humble thank you to the MBC student community that has been supporting Yalari and Indigenous education for several years through various fundraising events and initiatives. Thank you girls!
L to R: Robina Xavier, Naomi Buchanan, Lashonte Mosby, Shemyliah Ahmat and Mark Xavier.
SHARE THE LOVE! JOIN US ON SOCIAL MEDIA!
#yalari #generationalchange #indigenous #educatingindigenouschildren Did you know that Yalari is on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter? Follow us and keep up-to-date on what’s happening around the Yalari community.
@yalarimob
@yalarilimited
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If you would like to submit a story, provide feedback, share some photos or have any questions regarding our publication, please contact Alison MacKenzie - comms@yalari.org. Yalari News - March 2021
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Dream. Learn. Achieve. Succeed.
I want to graduate because after everything I have been through to get here, I deserve to. I also want my family to see me graduate and to make them proud.
Jemmah Ronsen Year 12 student The Glennie School, Toowoomba
Jemmah is a proud Argan young woman from Thursday Island in Queensland. Her Yalari journey is made possible by the generosity of the Stan & Maureen Duke Foundation. You can help a young person like Jemmah dream, learn, achieve and succeed by supporting their education.
Make a donation at www.yalari.org MAR21YALANEWS
Educating Indigenous Children
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