October 23, 2013
Two St Mary’s Catholic College students have earned Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Foundation (QATSIF) scholarships to assist with their final years at high school.
The independent public trust distributes scholarships from interest earned from the State Government’s former Aborigines’ Welfare Fund.
QATSIF was established after the “Stolen Wages” campaign by indigenous Queenslanders.
The initial capital is the wages of previous generations of Queensland workers held “in trust” by the government. QATSIF is actually returning to indigenous families, via educational scholarships, money that was earned by the students’ parents and grandparents but never paid to them.
Students who apply for a scholarship must go through a lengthy selection process.
Not only do they have to prove themselves worthy, they also must have community and family support.
Indigenous students from all over Queensland were presented with their scholarships in Brisbane today.
However as St Mary’s students had only just returned from a Brisbane trip (see report below) they were congratulated in a small celebration at the school this morning, while speakers from the Brisbane event were live-streamed.
St Mary’s successful QATSIF students this year are Frank McGregor, Year 11, and Jackson Langford, Year 10, who were congratulated by St Mary’s Indigenous Support Worker Valerie Mathews.
Mrs Mathews said the scholarships were keenly contested and it was credit to the students that they had qualified.
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St Mary’s College Captain Samantha Watson had a daunting task to perform in Brisbane last week but it went off without a hitch.
Samantha was called on to deliver the keynote address, on behalf of all indigenous students in the Brisbane Archdiocese, at the annual indigenous graduation at St Stephen’s Catholic Cathedral.
Five students from St Mary’s attended the ceremony.
Samantha spoke about the support she had received from her parents and the school in order to finish Year 12.
“I was truly honoured to be present and see such a fine young lady from our College speak so confidently and with genuine affection,” Acting Principal Sean Erwin said.
“There were hundreds of Year 12 indigenous students from the Archdiocese graduating and the occasion was truly moving.
“I would also like to congratulate Glynn Boney, Tori Watson, Jasmine Watson and Shania Stewart.
“These ladies represented the school in a dignified manner and I am very proud of their achievements in 2013.
“Thank you to the parents who attended and supported their daughters.”
