Federal Education Minister Hon Jason Clare MP and Meg Brighton, Deputy Secretary – Schools from the Federal Department of Education attended a morning training session during a trip to Alice Springs in July.
The old adage of the early bird getting the worm certainly applied as the two special guests were up before the sun to join Clontarf staff and academy members for an early morning pick-up run.
With Clontarf’s local staff expertly navigating their way around Alice Springs to pick up the young academy members, excitement was building for this highly anticipated event.
When the sun finally began to break through, 80 young men from Centralian Senior College, Centralian Middle School and Yirara College hit the track together, and it didn’t take long for the famous Clontarf camaraderie to kick in.
The guests were impressed with the dazzling skills on display. More importantly, they were also able to see a brilliant bunch of young men voluntarily coming to school before most of the town was awake.
To finish off a memorable morning, the guests and academy members were able to share breakfast, and the top trainers from across the academies were rewarded for their continued commitment to school and Clontarf.
Minister Clare said he and the Federal Government were committed to improving the education and employment outcomes of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and Clontarf was an important conduit to achieving this.
“I want to make sure that more young Indigenous men get through school and into employment and be able to build a life for them and for their families,” Minister Clare said.
“I know that the Clontarf Foundation plays a massive role in making that happen. It happens every day here in Alice and right across the country.
“The Clontarf Foundation does fantastic work. I’m glad the Federal Government can invest in this programme to change the lives of the young men that we see here today. I’m looking forward to continuing to work with Clontarf to change more lives for the future.”
Clontarf thanks Minister Clare and Ms Brighton for taking the time to meet the academy members in Alice Springs and gain a deeper understanding of how the programme works day-to-day.
