{"id":48144,"date":"2013-10-18T18:19:48","date_gmt":"2013-10-18T08:19:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=48144"},"modified":"2020-12-11T13:57:03","modified_gmt":"2020-12-11T03:57:03","slug":"be-brave-and-enjoy-the-ride","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2013\/10\/18\/be-brave-and-enjoy-the-ride\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Be Brave And Enjoy The Ride’"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Guest speaker Tom Keneally with \u00a0KSHS Year 12 Health Education subject award winner – and international cricketer – Holly Ferling<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Mike Storrien Memorial Award Winner Marcus Priaulx with Deputy Mayor Keith Campbell<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

October 19, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n

Author Tom Keneally touched on citizenship, success and the inevitability of change in his keynote address at the annual Kingaroy State High School Speech night on Thursday.<\/p>\n

Kingaroy Town Hall was packed with family and friends to watch awards being presented to Year 9-12 students.<\/p>\n

Hopefully quite a few were also fans of the Manly Sea-Eagles. \u00a0The Manly connection with the night was strong … KSHS Principal David Ballin’s son Matt is hooker for the grand final team and Tom Keneally is probably Manly’s biggest fan.<\/p>\n

Mr Keneally admitted that it was talk in the dressing room – and encouragement from Matt – that finally got him to Kingaroy for the speech night.<\/p>\n

He hadn’t managed in the past because the annual date clashed with book promotions. However this time he had no excuse …<\/p>\n

“I thought you’re turning 78 and you have to see Kingaroy or die, or maybe both,” Mr Keneally joked.<\/p>\n

He pointed out that it was a “failure” that had provided him with the opportunity to come.<\/p>\n

After being nominated for the Booker Prize he hadn’t made the cut.<\/p>\n

“I failed to get an English prize tonight,” he said. \u00a0“It was a great oversight by the judges but I would have missed out on Kingaroy again if I had been unlucky enough to have been shortlisted.”<\/p>\n

Mr Keneally paid tribute to the KSHS Year 12 award winners but had a warning for Lauren Cross – the winner of the Year 12 English subject award: “Never try to be a writer. It’s a mug’s game. But if you must, go ahead.”<\/p>\n

Mr Keneally said books weren’t dead; they had just become electronic.<\/p>\n

“Writing is not dead; writing will never be dead,” he said.<\/p>\n

He told the students that they would have to become “an entirely different person” every couple of years to keep up with the changing world.<\/p>\n

“Be brave and enjoy the ride,” he said.<\/p>\n

He also pointed out that lack of success at school did not mean lack of success afterwards, pointing to Albert Einstein and well-known barrister Geoffrey Robinson (“he couldn’t talk until he was six”) as examples.<\/p>\n

“Every child has a different fuse. We must nurse that child along until they ready to explode upon the world,” he said.<\/p>\n

He also urged the students to be good citizens and participate in life.<\/p>\n

“Politicians aren’t covering themselves with much glory at the moment but you can’t complain about them if you don’t vote,” he said.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
KSHS Principal David Ballin with the 2014 School Captains and Vice Captains … back row, vice-captains Taylor Crossley and Simon Fairbairn; and front row Belinda Johnston and Daniel Weldon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n

\"\"<\/a>
\u00a0Kingaroy-Taabinga Rotary Club Cid Burke Memorial recipient Kate McCormack (Year 11) with Cid’s widow Gabrielle<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n
\n

\"\"<\/a>
Rotary Shield for Junior Citizenship winners Melanie Hanwright and Oscar Birchall with Kingaroy Rotary president Damien Tessmann<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington with Quota Citizenship Award winner Charlene Lavaring, Keith Middleton Bursary winner Clare Bisley and BGA Citizenship Award winner Peter Hourn<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n

\"\"<\/a>
Australian Defence Force Leadership and Teamwork award winners Charles Payne (Year 10) and Sinead Horne (Year 12) with guest speaker Tom Keneally<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n
\n

\"\"<\/a>
Alan Whitmore Student Council Award winner Breeanne Cox, Arch Blue Memorial Prize winner Jessica Elford and Kingaroy-Taabinga Rotary Shield winner \u00a0Nikita Rossi<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Guest speaker Tom Keneally with Junior School Dux (Vietnam Veterans’ Trophy) Melanie Hanwright and Senior School Dux (P&C Auxiliary Shield) Thomas Stevens\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

* * *<\/h3>\n

Reception At KSHS<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Kingaroy State High School hospitality students hosted Tom Keneally, his wife Judy and special guests to dinner at the school – complete with mocktails – before the Awards ceremony:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\n

\"\"<\/a>
Principal David Ballin with guest speaker Tom Keneally<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n
\n

\"\"<\/a>
Judy Keneally with Gabrielle Burke, who presented the Cid Burke Memorial Bursaries<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lady Flo Bjelke-Petersen with daughter-in-law Karyn Bjelke-Petersen<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n
\n

\"\"<\/a>
South Burnett Deputy Mayor Keith Campbell and his wife Marion<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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