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"DOING YOUR BEST IN LIFE" (10 minute speech to whole school) A SPEECH BY
EVELYN SCOTT CHAIRPERSON COUNCIL FOR ABORIGINAL RECONCILIATION AT NAIDOC WEEK 2000 CELEBRATIONS VICTORIA PLANTATION STATE SCHOOL FRIDAY 15 SEPTEMBER 2000
Thank you for your introduction, Principal Eiby. Good morning girls and boys and staff of Victoria Plantation State School, the ASSPA Committee and Chair, Diane Friday. I am here to talk to you today about doing your best in life. I would like to start by saying that we are on the land of the traditional owners, the Aboriginal people who were here first – before everyone else. I would like to thank the traditional owners for having me in their part of Australia today – and what a beautiful part of Queensland it is! This is my home town, so it’s always good to come back As you all know, you are here to celebrate NAIDOC Week. This week is special for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people - it celebrates the fact that we were here first and we are still here with our culture strong and proud. I come from Aboriginal and South Sea Islander heritage. My mother’s people have lived in North Queensland for a long, long time. Long before Captain Cook came to Australia. My parents always taught me to be proud of who I am and what I am. I was brought up here in Ingham and taught to be respectful and honest. I am pretty happy about the way my life has turned out. I have a good job and a family that I love. I want to tell you a secret about how I have made the most of my life. Girls and boys, if you want do to do your best in life - you must try your best. It doesn’t matter if you are the fastest runner or the slowest runner. You might be very good at maths or not so good. You might be a good artist or you might not be able to draw at all. The only thing that matters in the end is if you did your best! That way, when the race is over, or the exam is finished, you can say to yourself – "Well – I worked hard to do my best." Another thing that has helped me to make the best of my life was wanting to make a difference. I really believe in making things better for all Australians. I reckon to do that – we must all be healthy, educated and be able to get work. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have not had all those opportunities that other Australians have had. That’s why I am working now as the Chairperson of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation. Reconciliation is about building friendships between Aboriginal people and other Australians so that things are better for all of us. I would like to ask you something – and I want you to think about your answer. How do you feel when you know you are not ready for a test? How do you feel when you have done your homework and tried your best to get ready for a test? Which one feels better? How do you feel when you give up half way through a running race or a drawing or reading a story? Do you ever wonder what might have happened if you kept going and tried harder? I challenge you young people here today not to give up. I ask you to do your best – even if it means you come second or third or last!! It doesn’t matter if you are the best – you just have to do your best. I wish you all a happy NAIDOC Week – and thank you for having me here today to share your celebrations. Thank you.
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