History rewritten as Geraldton SHS, Champion Bay SHS and Nagle College have male Indigenous captains next year

For the first time in Geraldton’s history, three high schools will next year have Indigenous boys as school captains, who all say they look forward to representing the voices of students and advocating for change. Geraldton Senior High School, Champion Bay Senior High School and Nagle Catholic College have all had Indigenous student leaders in the past, but history has been rewritten with three Indigenous boys chosen as captains in the same year. Christian Wright is the fourth Indigenous male school captain at Geraldton SHS and recently read a call to action statement at the 2022 Yamatji On-Country meeting, amplifying the urgency for change for the betterment of Indigenous families, culture and to strengthen partnerships. He said former Elders had worked hard to end racism and oppression for Aboriginal people, and he hoped to follow in their footsteps. “A lot of people may not see change, but only a few people can start a fire. And with that fire, it can go a long way,” he said. “For me, it’s a real honour, because from the past to the future, we’re going to have many outstanding students, and that’s when change will happen.” Christian said he hoped he could inspire and make a real difference for generations to come. “You can be anything you want if you put your mind to it,” he said. “I care for the kids, but it’s up to them to if they want to do this and do that — everyone has their own choices.” Year 11 Rural Youth Ambassador Emmanuel Richardson is the first Indigenous male school captain at Champion Bay SHS since the inception of John Willcock College in 1999 and was recently accepted into the WA Student Council to represent the Mid West. He said he was excited to represent students and his school as a whole, as well as representing the Indigenous community. “It feels like a really big accomplishment and I couldn’t be more proud to be able to represent that part of my culture,” he said. Emmanuel said he wanted to be a voice for the Indigenous community and empower acknowledgement of culture and acceptance in social settings. “I want to be that voice for people who can’t speak up for themselves, because I have the confidence and I have the belief, I just need to apply it and give kids the chance and the faith in me to actually be there for them,” he said. “It’s just about the whole mentality that you can’t let roadblocks such as your ethnicity get in the way of achieving what you want.” “It’s a big achievement for us three boys. It’s the first time three boys have been elected as Indigenous school captains,” he said. “The impression I want to give is that there’s nothing holding you back from anything, you just gotta go get it. “You just have to put one foot forward. School is better than sitting at home, that’s for sure.” Geraldton SHS principal Emma Walker said the school had a long history of Aboriginal student leaders and was proud to see the tradition continue in 2023. “We are proud to have close to 30 per cent of our students who are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and this is reflected in our student captaincy group,” she said.