Thursday 7 September, MADALAH and Future Footprints came together to celebrate their 2023 graduating cohort. An impressive 86 Year 12 Graduates and 15 Tertiary Graduates were congratulated and acknowledged for their outstanding achievements and hard work.
The evening started with a mesmerizing traditional dance and cultural performance from Penrhos and Aquinas College Indigenous students.
Accompanying the dancers were Oshay Reilly and Montgomery Petterson playing the didgeridoo. Tremaine Baxter generously took the time to pay respects and introduce the instruments, in particular the one he made on country in the Northern Territory.
Esteemed Whadjuk Noongar elder Uncle Barry Winmar opened the evening with a heartfelt welcome to country giving a sense of belonging, connectedness and strength.
Our very own MADALAH Alumnus and staff member Charles Mallard and Kadeejah Ah-Thew were our deadly MC’s, with Charles dropping in a dad joke which had the audience giggling.
MADALAH Ambassador Des Headland followed on to acknowledge MADALAH Board & Staff, AISWA Board & Staff, the 20 attending partner schools, 5 tertiary institutions and corporate sponsors including Water Corporation, Northern Star, Neometals and the Hanrine Foundation.
After this our graduates, staff and corporate partners then enjoyed a delicious 3 course dinner. This was followed by the presentation of graduation certificates and seven very special Excellence Awards to our scholars. These achievements had been in academia, sport, service & leadership and entertainment & the arts.
It was wonderful to see two of our graduates, Lemarna Valentine and Montgomery Petterson reflect on their education journey, the opportunities they have had, and how these opportunities will contribute to the next chapter in their lives.
A special thank you to Aquinas College for hosting the graduation dinner and awards ceremony!
