Endeavour Academy (Caringbah, NSW) marked a major milestone on Friday evening, combining its annual End of Year Awards Night with its 10-year anniversary celebration at Tradies Gymea, a long-standing Clontarf partner.
More than 100 guests filled the venue, including academy members and their families, school staff, partners and alumni. Special guests on the night included Clontarf Founder Gerard Neesham, Sutherland Shire Mayor Jack Boyd, Tradies President Dennis McHugh, and Cronulla Sharks NRL player and Clontarf alumnus Will Kennedy. The night recognised the growth and achievements of the 49 young men currently involved in the program, including ten Year 12 graduates who completed school this year.
The event featured a strong representation of the academy’s history. Inaugural Endeavour Academy Director and renowned NRL Indigenous player Jeff Hardy returned to reflect on the academy’s beginnings in 2015 and the decade that followed. Hardy opened the evening with a didgeridoo performance and later addressed the audience.
“I returned home and said to my wife, ‘I’ve seen an amazing program in Alice Springs that would be great here at Endeavour’,” Hardy said, recalling the moment he first encountered Clontarf while on a trip to the NT.
“Being the Clontarf director at one of the first Clontarf academies on the East Coast, coaching kids in footy and in life… that was, and still is, my career highlight.”
A musical moment became one of the night’s most memorable highlights when Jeff’s father, respected guitarist Col Hardy, took the stage before being joined by academy members and staff.
The formal awards presentation honoured outstanding contributions across the program:
- Academy Member of the Year – Kysen Pulevaka
- Clontarf Spirit – Raf Clark
- Principal’s Award – Rowen Powell
- Education Award – Tristan Gabriel
- Top Attendance – Ljay Fifita
- Employment Award – Luca Croft
- Top Trainer – Manaia Ellis
Looking back across the past decade, Endeavour carries a distinct place in Clontarf’s history. As the first Clontarf academy established in Greater Sydney, it demonstrated that the program could thrive in a metropolitan setting and helped lay the groundwork for the region’s continued growth. Today, multiple academies now operate across Greater Sydney with the same focus on school engagement, confidence and post-school pathways.
Across ten years, Endeavour Clontarf has supported hundreds of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men to strengthen their education, wellbeing, and transition into employment, further study or other positive pathways. Friday’s celebration showcased that legacy while also casting attention to what lies ahead for the next decade of academy members.
