Narrabri High School students attend Halogen National Young Leaders Day

Four students from Narrabri High School, captains Noah Smith and Martha Harvey, and vice-captains May Krishna and Poppy Smith, attended the Halogen National Young Leaders Day on Monday, March 14.

Halogen is a premier provider of leadership education and inspiration for Australian youth.

Students demonstrating leadership potential are selected by NSW private and public schools or community groups to attend the conference.

Over 23,000 students from across Australia take part in the event each year.

Staged at Sydney’s International Convention Centre, attendees heard four inspirational young speakers who each spoke about their various life experiences.

The opportunity for our Year 12 students to meet and converse with these young achievers was an invaluable and unforgettable experience.

The speakers included Lachie Smart who, in 2016, became the youngest pilot to fly solo around the world.

He completed the 54-day journey at just 18 years of age.

This motivating journey took two and a half years to plan, which included a huge fundraising effort.

Since breaking the world record Lachie has shared his story with millions around the world, inspiring and challenging young people to dream bigger and redefine their capabilities.

Olympic swimmer Bronte Campbell spoke of her experiences as a gold-medal winner and world champion.

Bronte famously made history alongside sister Cate in 2012, when they both became the first Australian sisters to compete in the same swimming event at the Olympic Games – the women’s 50m freestyle in London.

At the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, Campbell amazingly broke two games records and subsequently secured two gold medals – individually in the women’s 100m freestyle, as well as part of the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay team.

At the 2015 World Championships, Bronte became the third female in history to win both the 50m and 100m freestyle world titles.

She is also a member of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics world-record breaking 4x100m freestyle relay team.

The students heard the inspiring story of Josh Pyke, Australian singer-songwriter, producer, musician and children’s book author, who burst onto the Australian music scene with the release of his debut studio album in 2007.

He spoke of the album’s debut at number four on the ARIA Charts, which then went on to win three ARIA Awards that year.

Since then, his music has taken him all over the world, releasing many more albums and claiming more Aria Awards.

Josh is an ambassador for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation and has fundraised thousands of dollars towards the fund. He is renowned for promoting a positive message and advocates for the importance of mental health and wellbeing.

A motivational address was given by Australian cricketer Chris Green.

Chris is celebrated for his all-rounder prowess on the cricketing fields, playing for New South Wales and the Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League.

Chris also plays Sydney grade cricket for Manly Warringah District Cricket Club.

The following day was spent visiting Sydney University, the Whitehouse Institute of Design, and the NSW 2022 TEXStyle exhibition.

The visit to Sydney University included a guided tour orchestrated by Sydney University student ambassador Troy Affolter, who presented an intriguing history of the buildings and the university.

He offered the Narrabri High School students information on the vast range of courses that are on offer, the many opportunities available for rural students and how to apply.

Next, the students were thrilled to meet up with Australian contemporary fashion designer Akira Isogawa at the Whitehouse Institute of Design.

Born in Kyoto, Japan in 1964, Akira emigrated to Australia in 1986 at the age of 21.

He studied fashion at the East Sydney Technical College, drawing inspiration from contemporary Japanese design.

By the late 1990s, Akira was known internationally. His clothes appear under his own label and are sold all over the world, and he is one of the few Australian designers to exhibit and sell his clothing in Paris.

Akira has also worked as a costume designer for the Sydney Dance Company.

In 1999, the Australian Fashion Industry Awards named him as a Designer of the Year and Womenswear Designer of the Year.

For Narrabri High School vice-captain Poppy Smith, it was a special moment when the students later visited the NSW 2022 TEXStyle exhibition.

Poppy received the news last year that her Year 12 Major Textile project had been selected to form part of the exhibition, an annual event that showcases excellence in student textile design.

Held in Sydney for the past 15 years, the exhibition is designed to showcase and promote Textiles and Design as an area of study.

With more than 1200 submissions sent in from schools around NSW, Poppy was honoured to be one of only 20 selected.

The students were accompanied by Narrabri High School public relations and community liaison David Pierce.

Mr Pierce was delighted with the event.

“The trip was a fantastic opportunity for our young leaders and a privilege for me to be able to open their eyes and minds to what prospects are out there that could possibly influence their decisions for the future”.