Young leaders shine at Young Leader’s Day 2023

The Narrabri High School leadership team had a once-in-a-lifetime experience, attending the Halogen Young Leaders’ Day conference at Sydney Darling Harbour International Convention Centre in March.

The youth conference hosted 6000 students across the state who heard speeches on leadership from his excellency the Governor-General of Australia David Hurley, as well as the inspiring stories of leading Australians.

NHS prefect Matthew Evans said, “We heard stories, life lessons, and advice from some amazing speakers, including Governor-General David Hurley, former Australian Diamonds captain Caitlin Bassett, comedian Nazeem Hussain, biomedical engineer Dr Jordan Nguyen and Sydney Thunder cricketer Chris Green.”

Comedian and television personality Nazeem Hussain spoke to the students about young leaders being readers, using laughter as a tool for getting through tough times, and how his mum taught him to stand up for himself.

NHS vice-captain Eliza Dampney said, “The leadership convention was inspiring and insightful, particularly getting to listen to and meet Governor-General Mr Hurley, I learned a lot through what he had to say.”

His Excellency David Hurley was the esteemed guest speaker at the event, being the favourite of the day for many students, who got to meet him at the conference.

Mr Hurley spoke to students about what it means to be a leader, the importance of listening, and reflective leadership.

Mr Evans said, “The best piece of advice that I took from the experience was from the Governor-General saying that we have two ears and one mouth for a reason, and you should never lead with your ego.”

Dr Jordan Nguyen was another favourite, speaking to students about using life-changing technology for maximum positive global impact and transforming the lives of those who live with a disability.

School captain Miranda Hamilton was quite taken with former Diamonds’ captain Caitlin Bassett’s journey to becoming a legendary netballer for Australia.

“She told us when she first started netball, she was always uncoordinated until she started shooting, which is when she found out she had great aim.”

“She started from only being strong enough to lift a broomstick to becoming the captain of the Australian netball team and winning almost every award that exists in netball.

“She’s an amazing sports star, leader, and role model to our society, especially for young netballers, she proves that hard work can beat talent any day.”

After the conference, students attended the University of NSW and University of Technology Sydney for guided tours and a chat with university ambassadors about campus life.

“We got to see what uni is like, and meeting students that have attended has given me a better insight into why year 12 is so important,” said Mr Evans.

School captain Jesse Weekes said, “Visiting UNSW and UTS was a really good experience to help understand what daily university life would look like”.

“It brought a lot more attention to all the different facilities available within a campus, something I hadn’t really looked at,” added NHS school captain Jesse Weekes.