Twelve Bombala Public School pupils travelled to Sydney to attend the National Young Leaders Day at Sydney Olympic Park on Monday, February 29.
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The National Young Leaders Day is an annual event founded in 1997 to develop strong leadership values among young Australians.
The program consisted of keynote talks, multimedia presentations and interactive learning that sought a range of specific outcomes for young people who aspire to lead themselves and others well.
The theme of this year’s conference was “Mastering the Little”.
Pupils Lucy Merritt, Josie Cotterill, Izzy Salter, Pippa Spoljaric, Jayda Ford, Zali Lavender, Jack Stevenson, Will Garnock, Jessica Vincent, Briony Brotherton, Zara Badewitz and Anna Spoljaric were accompanied by their parents.
The pupils were amazed when they arrived at Allphones Arena to find more than 6000 people inside.
A representative from the Halogen Foundation introduced the first speaker, personal trainer Nathan Want – or “Dubsy” – who inspired boot camp plus aerobics.
“He had us doing the actions; the sprinkler and the shopping trolley to help get fit,” the Bombala pupils said.
“He said ‘it’s not always easy, but it’s worth it’.”
The next speaker was Melanie Lee, who the pupils said was not the most inspiring speaker.
“She even admitted to being unprepared, but told us to eat healthily and told our parents to listen to us,” the pupils said.
Next up, NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione told the pupils that leaders aren’t always the ones in charge.
“The choices you make determine whether or not you are a leader, so make good choices,” Commissioner Scipione said.
“Acting with integrity is more important when no-one knows,” he said.
Other speakers on the day were Paralympian Ben Austin, TV presenter Scott Tweedy, Cat Café founder Veronica Morland and chocolate maker Rebecca Kerswell.
The Bombala pupils agreed the Young Leaders conference was great and they were glad they went.