When Principal Deidre Young won the prestigious Archbishop’s Award for Leadership, she credited the McAuley College Beaudesert community for shaping her into the leader she is today.
Mrs Young has been Principal since McAuley College opened on the 25 January 2017 with 36 inaugural Year 7 students, and will this year see the school’s first year 12 cohort graduate.
At the 2022 Brisbane Catholic Education Awards, Mrs Young was publicly recognised for her extraordinary contributions in transforming the lives of students through her leadership.
There were 273 nominations across 10 categories for the prestigious awards, which were presented in the company of fellow winners, nominees and special guests at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Mrs Young received the award from Archbishop Mark Coleridge, who blessed the school site on 22 April 2016 prior to construction and blessed the college on 17 November 2017.
She said receiving the Archbishop’s Award for Leadership was a proud moment not just for her but for the Beaudesert community.
“I feel quite overwhelmed to have been the recipient of the Archbishop’s Leadership Award. What makes me most proud, in accepting it, is that under my name, is McAuley College BEAUDESERT,” she said.
“I only have the capacity to exercise the leadership I do, because of the incredible community I belong to. This community has given me opportunities and I feel incredibly fortunate every day to have been invited to be part of this place. I am both a better person and leader for having been the foundation Principal of McAuley College.
“I also acknowledge my family and friends, who wrap around me each day to support me, so I can be Principal, mum, wife, and friend. I am very lucky indeed.”
Archbishop Coleridge and Brisbane Catholic Education Executive Director Dr Sally Towns recognised nominees for their excellence in supporting the growth of students through teaching, leading, mentoring, and developing others.
Dr Towns said nominations were particularly strong in 2022 and applauded the calibre of nominees like Mrs Young.
“Pope Francis said, ‘Educating is an act of love, it is like giving life’ and this was evident in the care that went into applications,” she said.
