Year 6 Graduation Dinner: St Joseph's Memorial School

And, as each year passes, I think about their last day at St Jospeh’s Memorial School.

So, I understand the emotions that every parent and caregiver in this room feels right now.

I want to congratulate the Graduating Class of 2025.

You should all be very proud of what you have achieved not only this year, but for every year of your primary school education.

Congratulations also to your parents, grandparents, caregivers and other members of your family who have supported you along the way.

I know they are all very proud of you.

I’m sure it seems like only yesterday they saw you walk through the gates for the first time.

But here you are tonight in what seems like the blink of an eye – some seven or eight years later – and in that time, they have seen you grow and develop as a beautiful young people ready for Secondary School.  

And of course, congratulations to Mr Heaney and all the other teachers and staff at St Joseph’s Memorial School who I know have played different, but equally important roles in your education up to now.

To the Year 6 students, tomorrow you will turn the last page in this chapter in the story of your young lives.

Up to now, all of you have shared the same introduction as students at St Jospeh’s Memorial School.

But from here, your journeys and your stories will take different paths.

The next chapter you will write about will be about your experiences as a Secondary School student.

Before long, one page will turn into two, and two will turn into thee, until you have written the next chapter of your lives.

You will feel nervous and hopeful, sad about friendships you will leave behind but excited about the new ones you will make.

Remember, you are still at the beginning of your journey through life, and life is a marathon, not a sprint, so pace yourselves because the journey can be just as enjoyable and rewarding as your destination.

In this sense, St Joseph’s Memorial School has given you the best of both worlds.

It has taught you to be curious by encouraging you open your minds to learn about the wonders of science, the complexities of maths and the beauty of art.

But it has also taught you to be servants of God by opening your hearts to learn the love and the legacy of Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop.

St Joseph’s Memorial School is a place for children to learn skills for life: respect, compassion, kindness, acceptance, and service to others.

As you move through your teenage years, you will increasingly draw on these skills and values, even though you may not realise it at the time.

But it is all part of your personal growth to becoming a respectful and responsible citizen, someone this school can be proud to call its own.

The years ahead will be uncertain.

Life is not a straight and flat road but instead has curves and bumps to test your patience and resilience. 

You will experience success and failure.

There will be good days and bad days.

Sometime, for every two steps forward you take, it will feel like there is one step back

But remember that when things just aren’t going right and you think that it’s just not your day, it just may be your moment.

So, make the most of your opportunities when they come along because these moments can turn into special memories that will stay with you forever.

And whilst you are young, never think that you are too young to make the world a better place.

Whatever your passion, confident that with the help of your friends and family and a strong belief in yourself that you too can achieve great things and change the world. 

I hope that you bring your passion to Secondary School and share it with the people you meet.

I also hope that along with passion you also bring respect, humility and kindness to everyone you meet.

Be the person who offers a helping hand, shows kindness to a stranger, and does the right thing even when no-one is watching.

Because the world needs more people like you.

Good luck, god bless and goodbye.