Olympian Laura Gourley thanks former school for passionate support

Olympian and former Narrabri Public School student Laura Gourley has been welcomed home after making Narrabri proud as a competitor in the 2024 Paris games.

Narrabri Public School principal Claire Allen said it was a privilege and delight to welcome the former student to the school for their assembly on Monday morning.

“Laura came to visit our school and thank our school community for their passionate support of her Olympic adventure,” Mrs Allen said.

“Laura finished Year 6 in 2013, having attended NPS since kindergarten. She shared many fond memories of her various teachers and was interested to see what had changed and what was still the same from her time at primary school.

“Right through primary school, Laura shone as a skilled, dedicated and competitive athlete, taking on every sporting opportunity presented to her.

“She was an avid swimmer, holding many records well beyond her years at our school. Her strong sense of sportsmanship and commitment to always achieving her personal best made her a standout in every arena, but it wasn’t until she attended Loreto Normanhurst that she discovered rowing.

“Laura spoke to our assembly about the hours of hard work and dedication she put into preparing for not only the Paris Olympics, but also the many state, national and world titles where she has achieved gold and bronze medals.”

When in training, Laura undertakes three sessions a day and can practice for more hours than the students are even in school.

“Laura shared her adventures in Italy in the lead-up to the Paris games, where her quad rowing team spent months preparing for the competition,” Mrs Allen said.

“Our students were fascinated to hear about the other sports and sporting celebrities that Laura met while in Paris.

“Already a celebrated state and national champion, she was quick to share that she now has her sights set on future Olympics, hoping to achieve even more impressive results; although we all think that being eighth in the world is an incredible feat and one that we were happy to celebrate with Laura at our assembly.

“We wish Laura the best with her future Olympic and career aspirations and look forward to cheering her on again at future events.”