Page 1206 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 10 April 2018
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have, and I am thankful to Ms Barker and her team for taking time out of their busy day to showcase their school.
Daramalan College has been operating at its Dickson location for 56 years. Founded by the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart in 1962, it began as a boys school for students in years 5 to 12, but it has developed over time and is now firmly established as one of Canberra’s leading co-educational schools for students in years 7 to 12. It has a very strong former student network, evidenced by the number of students whose parents were also Daramalan students. In the foyer of the school you are greeted by a wonderful ceramic sculpture of an eagle, which symbolises the origins of the school’s name, from the Aboriginal word “daramala”.
I met with the very inspirational principal, Ms Rita Daniels, who is understandably proud of what has been achieved on what is now a landlocked, limited space. A new science wing and modern sports facility are the most recent additions and have artfully blended into the original architecture.
The school has a strong science faculty, with three of its students, Gabby Jarvis, Emma Johnson and Kavinya Welikala, finalists in the prestigious national BHP Billiton science and engineering awards. This is the second year in a row that Gabby and Emma have reached the finals. In the past three years Daramalan has produced eight of the finalists in the most prestigious student science competition in the country. But Daramalan is equally well known for staging very professional drama and musical productions and it is a frequent recipient of CAT awards.
Despite being a large school—some 1,400 students—Daramalan prides itself on the quality of its care and attention to the individual needs of students, and that is evidenced by the enthusiasm and professionalism of Ms Daniels.
With schools like Montessori and Daramalan, the education of our children in the ACT is in the good hands of some of our phenomenal teachers—and I take my hat off to every single one of them—working hard to give our children the opportunity to reach their fullest potential.
I hope that in future adjournment debates I will be able to speak about visits to some of our government schools. I am awaiting a response from the minister’s office to the request I made in February to visit some of our great government schools, because I have no doubt that they too deliver a range of quality programs. I look forward to being able to visit and meet with our great government school teachers.
Dementia Australia ACT
MS LAWDER (Brindabella) (4.45): I recently visited the offices of Dementia Australia ACT in Kaleen. Dementia Australia ACT is the peak body representing the interests of people in the ACT affected by dementia. It was founded in 1997 by a group of dedicated professionals and volunteers working in the community and aged care sectors. Nowadays the Kaleen premises are the headquarters for 22 professional staff and 20 volunteers, and together they provide support services for people with dementia, their families and carers. Of course, they were previously known as
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