Yalari 20th Anniversary Gala Dinner

Premier of Queensland and Minister for Veterans the Honourable David Crisafulli MP; Shadow Minister for Closing the Gap and Reconciliation, Shadow Minister for Seniors and Disability Services, Shadow Minister for Integrity, Shadow Minister for the Arts, Member for Algester, the Honourable Leeanne Enoch MP; Shadow Minister for Education and the Early Years, Shadow Minister for Youth Justice, Member for Bulimba, the Honourable Di Farmer MP; Yalari Chair, Mr Bruce Davidson, Founding Director, Mr Waverley Stanley AM, Managing Director, Ms Llew Mullins; staff, alumni and students; distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen.

I too, would like to begin by acknowledging the Original Custodians of the lands around Brisbane, the Turrbal and Jagera peoples, paying my respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and to all First Nations people here this evening.

Thank you for bringing us the beautiful sounds of the didgeridoo, and to the three Yalari alumni for their own Acknowledgements to Country—which set the stage for an evening that celebrates the life-changing impact this incredible organisation has had on young Indigenous people over the past 20 years.

In 2005, Yalari’s visionary founder, Waverley Stanley AM, put into motion an idea that had come him from his own personal experiences, when at Murgon Primary School his teacher, Rosemary Bishop, facilitated a scholarship for him to attend Toowoomba Grammar School to continue his studies.

Waverley recognised how the many opportunities given to him through education—inside and outside the classroom—helped him develop academically and equipped him with the skills and confidence he needed to lead others.

With his wife, Llew Mullins, and unstoppable passion and determination, Waverley made it his mission to ensure other young Indigenous people from regional and remote communities could have a chance to expand and enhance their futures, by receiving full scholarships, to leading boarding schools across Australia, for their secondary education.

Since Yalari began, over 550 Indigenous students nationally and 300 students from our state, have received a transformative educational experience through a Rosemary Bishop Indigenous Education Scholarship.

Waverley has said that “education in Queensland is about giving young people [...] the skills and the strategies they need to achieve their own dreams and goals”––and I could not agree more.

I firmly believe in the power of education to improve all aspects of life, including health, and during my recent trip to Indigenous communities in the Gulf of Carpentaria, I also saw how keen local leaders are to encourage education as a way of building strength from within, fostering the unique abilities and creative talents of their own young people to generate pride in culture and traditions, while building the leaders of tomorrow.

What makes Yalari so effective, is that it offers students crucial support for their entire journey—when they first leave home; throughout their high-school years; and then when they emerge as young adults, ready to take on the next phase of their lives in whichever way they choose, nurtured by a sense of fellowship and ongoing connection with Yalari and its alumni.

This wonderful circle of support advances the organisation, those it helps, and our whole state, and whether students go on to study further at TAFE or University, or enter the workforce, they are carrying the benefits of Yalari into their futures, and towards lasting generational change.

Such remarkable outcomes require the efforts of many, and so as we celebrate 20 years of Yalari and commend the humanitarian energy of its inspirational founders, I also thank Yalari’s devoted board, staff and volunteers, students past and present, the partner schools, and all of the generous supporters and sponsors who have contributed to its success.

Congratulations everyone and enjoy this special evening.