Official visit to Yarrabah State School

Thank you for welcoming me so warmly to your district and your school. This is the first time I have had the pleasure of visiting the Yarrabah State School, and my wife and I are very pleased to be here.

I acknowledge the traditional custodians of these lands, and express my respect for their elders past, present and to come. 

Now we have already learned a lot about your community, and we look forward to learning much more while here. 

I am grateful that my daily life contains so many opportunities for learning, just like yours does.

In my case, I travel with my wife to many different regions across the State, and have the privilege in every place of meeting the people of the area and learning about their communities. 

In your case, you come to school every day and have the opportunity to learn a great many things about a great many subjects. 

Each of you has a different favourite subject, I am sure, because we all have our own strengths and interests.

I had my favourite subjects at school, too, but I particularly appreciated the opportunity to learn about a broad range of subjects, because I didn’t know back then what would be of most use to me in my adult life. I learned the importance of keeping an open mind, and being enthusiastic about every opportunity.

It was also made very clear to me, as it is made clear to you, how important it is to go to school every day.

Regular attendance at school is the single greatest contributor to being successful at school.

Your school has a number of excellent initiatives to support your being at school, and I congratulate you on the huge success of your ‘welcome-back’ march at the beginning of the school year. You are fortunate in having families, school staff and a local community so invested in your success. 

Your school motto is Aim High Like a Seahawk, and I encourage you to do just that. 

The seahawk is very special because it is one of the few species that occurs nearly worldwide. It thrives in almost all habitats. Aim high while you are at school, and, like the seahawk, you will find success wherever you choose to go and whatever you choose to do.

I wish the Year 3s, 5s and 7s all the very best for NAPLAN in a little over a week’s time, and I wish everyone every success for the rest of the school year. 

Thank you.