David Keating Voluntary Service Award

 

Joint Winner: Peter Edwards, Lachlan Reilly, Thomas Fisher, Peter Gooley, Graham Duel, Lorraine Neate from Carmel College, Thornlands

This group of dedicated volunteer teachers have provided morning training opportunities for the Carmel College community (students, staff and parents) for five mornings a week for over 16 years of the school's 25 year history - with Peter, Graham, Lorraine and Peter as the longstanding delivery team. Free morning training options provided to the community include cross country running through the local streets and parks, 'E45' sessions named after Mr Peter Edwards, gym sessions including education and provision of programming, Friday Fun Days, and the world famous Eddie-a-Thon end of year fitness challenge. No student, staff member or parent is ever left behind, and the opportunities to form strong bonds across year levels, genders and roles within the school is amazing. In 2020 the College lost Mrs Lorraine Neate to another school, and Mr Peter Edwards to his first principalship at San Damiano College, Yarrabilba. Despite these interruptions, and the challenges of COVID, Mr Lachlan Reilly, Mr Thomas Fisher, Mr Peter Gooley and Mr Graham Duel have found a way to continue to provide opportunities for the Carmel College Community to be healthy, active and build connections through morning training.
In a year when students have missed out on their regular sporting fixtures, and parents and staff face high levels of stress, the importance and impact of morning training cannot be underestimated. During online learning provisions, students, staff and families were provided with at-home workout ideas, including videos of teacher demonstrations. Morning training returned, with a COVID-Safe plan, once students returned to face-to-face schooling. The collegial nature of the morning training team has seen up to 19 staff at a time join sessions, despite only being able to access two showers afterwards! A wide range of Carmel College staff provide support to morning training sessions, but it is thanks to the core group of nominees that students have ongoing opportunities to connect to each other through exercise, see active and healthy role models across all departments of the College, and are educated and supported to train safely. Such is the legacy of morning training, that we see older siblings initiate and support their Year 7 siblings through their first term of sessions, and currently enrolled children of ex-students join morning training, following in their parents' footsteps. There are also former students who attended morning training who are now the teachers inspiring the next generation.