More than 250 people received a warm welcome to Mununjali country when Beaudesert hosted the Department of Education South East Region NAIDOC Awards for 2022.
Beaudesert’s Mununjali community shone at the prestigious celebrations, held at Beaudesert High and organised by the South East Region Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education team.
Beaudesert Mununjali locals took out the Community Education Counsellor award, Community Elders of the Year award and Student Leadership (Junior Secondary) award in proud moments on home soil among their South East Region counterparts.
Mununjali leadership in the education sector was clear when locals won three prestigious awards at the 2022 Department of Education South East Region NAIDOC Awards.
Beaudesert High hosted the awards on 16 June, with the Mununjali Traditional Elders and Mununjali Ngari welcoming hundreds of people to country for the occasion.
Beaudesert High student Cooper Iselin won the Student Leadership (Junior Secondary) award, Stacie Fogarty won the Community Education Counsellor award and the Traditional Mununjali Elders won the Community Elders of the Year award.
Beaudesert High senior students Aidan Long, Jayden Bartlett and Kai Briggs were MCs, with assistance from fellow student Kane Willis in handing out the awards.
Stacie, who is affectionately called ‘Aunty’ by primary students at Beaudesert State School, said it was an honour to be recognised less than one year into her education career.
“It made me feel deadly to be recognised not only on Mununjali country but out of all of south east Queensland, because I am the first Community Education Counsellor at Beaudesert State School and it’s also where I started school in year 1,” she said.
Stacie, who was the first grandchild in her family to graduate high school 11 years ago, paid tribute to the influential role of former Beaudesert High Community Education Counsellor, the late Doolie Currie, as well as teachers Aunty Faith (Lilino) and Leanne Dunne.
Cooper Iselin won the Student Leadership (Junior Secondary) award.
Photo by Katie O’Brien
Stacie Fogarty won the Community Education Counsellor award.
Photo by Katie O’Brien
Traditional Mununjali Elders won the Community Elders of the Year award at the 2022 Department of Education South East Region NAIDOC Awards. Photo by Katie O’Brien
