November 4, 2012
“Go out into the world with a sense of optimism. Keep the glass half full because Australia is still the lucky country.”
This was the encouraging message from senior public servant Michael Manthorpe – a former School Captain at St Mary’s Catholic College – who was the guest speaker at the school’s annual Awards Night, held last Thursday.
Mr Manthorpe graduated from St Mary’s in 1980 and then completed an Arts degree in journalism and history at Queensland University.
As he worked his way up the bureaucracy he worked under various Federal governments and managed many programs including Work for the Dole and the Job Network. For a while, he also managed the Building the Education Revolution program.
In 2009, Mr Manthorpe was awarded the Public Service Medal in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.
Mr Manthorpe shared with his audience – and in particular Year 12 students who are finishing their schooling within weeks – various ideas which he said had helped him along the way during his career.
As well as staying optimistic, he advised the students to value education and not be afraid of hard work.
They should also strive to build resilience: “You can’t buy it, you have to cultivate it from within,” he said.
Mr Manthorpe also urged to students to “be sincere”, warning that it was easy to be sarcastic, cynical or “cool” but they should never let go of sincerity.
He urged the students to try to learn from every experience and be proud of themselves.
“Be curious about the big wide world you’re entering,” he said.
He said the students could take heart that the education they had received at St Mary’s would give them a solid base for the rest of their lives.
“Work hard and stay strong because there’s always tomorrow. Hold on to sincerity and learn from your experiences,” he said.
“Be proud of yourself and be curious. Contribute in some way to your community and someone in it will be there to support you when things are tough. And try to hold onto a sense of optimism because life is good.
“If you live by those things, I reckon you’ll be okay.”
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School principal Michael Nayler congratulated all the award winners and noted that one-third of all students had been recognised for either academic, sporting or strong Christian and Benedictine values.
Mr Nayler said 2012 had been a growth year for St Mary’s with enrolments up 20 per cent.
And he was proud of the school’s academic achievements.
In the Year 9 NAPLAN testing, St Mary’s was the second best overall out of all 31 Brisbane Catholic Education schools between Maryborough and the Gold Coast
He said the school also had the highest percentage of graduates locally moving into either university, TAFE or apprenticeships.
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Major Awards Winners:
- ADF Leadership / Team Work Year 10 – Gabriel Crane
- ADF Leadership / Team Work Year 11 – Claire Anderson
- ADF Leadership / Team Work Year 12 – Shannon Nitschke
- Rotary Award of Citizenship – Matthew Guteridge
- Carroll Award for Diligence – Campbell Depper
- Lions Trainees of the Year – Leroy Anderson and Daniel Kelly
- James Patrick Burns Bursary – Alex Kelly
- Benedictine Award Year 12 – Sarah Undery
- Aunty Daisy Carlo Deadly Achievement Award – Samantha Watson
- Sportsman of the Year – Matthew Harch
- Sportswoman of the Year – Madi Nitschke
- BCE Spirit of Sport Award – Christian Sutton
- South Burnett Regional Council Dux of the College – Shannon Nitschke
- Tom Lambert Award for Excellence in the Arts – Sara Vinci
- Mary MacKillop Award – Bonnie Winch
- College Christian Living Winner – Sara Vinci
Sports Awards:
- Age 10 Years – Blake Shirley, Athletics; Joshua Gronbach, Cross Country and Swimming; Mackenzy Moller, Swimming, Cross Country and Athletics
- Age 11 Years – William McKie, Athletics; Nicholas Elliott, Swimming; William Rutherford, Cross Country; Katie Robertson, Cross Country; Tessa Buzzo, Swimming and Athletics
- Age 12 Years – Alexander Dunemann, Swimming; Kate Cutler, Swimming; Tommy Pratt, Cross Country; Carissa Jensen, Cross Country and Athletics; Campbell Depper, Athletics
- Age 13 Years – Christopher McCarthy, Cross Country; Jackson Kelly, Swimming; Aaron Bryan, Athletics; Kiara Wright, Athletics; Rheanan Yance, Cross Country; Sarah Haack, Swimming
- Age 14 Years – Zachary McKie, Athletics; Rachel Davis, Swimming; Lachlan White, Swimming; Hayden Yesberg, Cross Country; Bridget McCarron, Cross Country; Rahab Murray, Athletics
- Age 15 Years – Matthew Harch, Swimming, Cross Country and Athletics; Nellie Blee, Athletics; Tayla Montgomery, Swimming; Ellen Nixon, Cross Country
- Age 16 Years – Gabriel Crane, Swimming and Athletics; Brendan McCarron, Cross Country; Stephanie Mumford, Athletics; Brooke Davis, Swimming; Claire Anderson, Cross Country
- Age 17 Years and Open – Christian Sutton, Cross Country; Kyle Johnson, Swimming; Leroy Anderson, Athletics; Shannon Nitschke, Swimming, Cross Country and Athletics
