Crows Nest State School

Thank you, Acting Principal. It is a great honour to be here in the presence of the Mayor, staff and students.

I too acknowledge the traditional owners of these lands, and extend respectful greetings to Elders and emerging leaders.

Kaye and I are delighted to be visiting Crows Nest State School as you begin the school year.

The start of the school year is a time of hope. It is a time of new beginnings, of looking forward with anticipation to what lies ahead. The tribulations and triumphs of last year are behind you, and you go into the new year refreshed and ready to start anew.

I know that the end of last year was a very challenging time for you.

Shortly before the end of term your school was closed down for a few days because of the bushfire threat. As the bushfires raged you showed great strength of character and community spirit.

And as a result of the bushfires, your school motto - ‘I can overcome’ - came triumphantly to life. And we must not forget the challenges faced from the 2011 floods.

Those words can no longer ever be for you just empty words embroidered on your uniform (even if it is in the rather cute Latin form ‘Possum Vincere’). Once you have overcome a challenge on the scale that you have done, you live forever in the knowledge - not just the hope - that, yes, absolutely, you can overcome.

There will be other unexpected challenges that you will face during your schooling and, indeed, your life. When those challenges inevitably arise, I urge you to draw on that knowledge to help you, once again, overcome.

Along with challenges, of course, you will encounter a great many opportunities. I encourage you to seize those opportunities as they come your way and to make the very most of your days at school.

I would like to particularly welcome the prep students to their educational journey; it is a very exciting time in your lives; I look forward to reading to you, and other young children from the town, shortly. I would also like to particularly acknowledge the Year 10 students as they embark upon their final year at this venerable school. Difficult as it is to believe right now, the end of the year will be reached before you know it, and you will be looking around this Hall in November wondering where the year went.

To every student, I wish you good luck for your studies, and offer my best wishes for all of your musical, cultural and sporting pursuits in 2020.

Thank you for welcoming Kaye and I so warmly to your school.