It’s been an exciting year for the Cowboys Community Foundation, but for the newly opened NRL Cowboys House, it has been a tremendous year of accomplishment for staff, volunteers and students.
NRL Cowboys House currently provides supported accommodation for 25 young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students from remote communities in north-west and Far North Queensland, providing life-changing opportunities for some of the most disadvantaged students in the country.
In the two years leading up to its official opening in March this year, a dedicated team of people across an array of Government agencies, community organisations, various levels of the National Rugby League – including board members from the Cowboys Rugby League Football Club, and the Cowboys Community Foundation joined forces with a common goal of improving education access for Indigenous youth in the Cowboys catchment area.
Before returning to their home communities for the Christmas break, select students were presented with awards acknowledging their outstanding achievements, at the facility’s Presentation Night.
- Most Consistent: Les Marmies
- Quiet Achievers: Kium Roughsey Tureece Michael Brody Ah Kit
- Sportsman of the Semester: Jarvis George Trevor Henry
- Outstanding Academic Senior: Krystian Bevan
- Outstanding Academic Junior: Zayryn Rosendale
- Most Outstanding Effort: Palmer Lee Cheu
- Best Study: Tyler Pickering & Tyreece Michael
- Most Outstanding Border: Elijah Joe
The inaugural cohort of students excelled in their new schooling environments and is testament to the wrap-around support model that makes the House unique in its offering as a local boarding facility.
Cowboys Community Foundation director Fiona Pelling said the achievements of the students this year gives the facility staff added motivation for 2018, when they welcome an additional 25 boys to their new home-away-from-home.
“We had faith that with the right people and support framework in place, we would be able to give these young men the best possible chance in succeeding with the transition into their new home away from home. We have been absolutely amazed at the resilience they have demonstrated in integrating into their new schools – both academically and socially – considering these new school populations often outnumber their whole home community population. Our school partners have been incredible in supporting this transition – they certainly have been a big part of this success” Ms Pelling said.
NRL Cowboys House will welcome 50 students to the facility from January 2018.
For more information on NRL Cowboys House, and other programs under the Cowboys Community Foundation, please visit http://www.cowboysfoundation.org.au/.
