Cathy Freeman on boarding school to chasing big dreams
Olympic champion and Yalari Champion Cathy Freeman AC sat down with Geelong Grammar School Year 11 students Isaac and Ruben on stage at Yalari’s Melbourne Gala dinner for a Q&A hosted by Yalari alumna Marlley McNamara.
From phone calls home that felt like oxygen, to the moment Cathy nearly walked away from running, to the big sister who kept her on the path, it was a conversation about leaving home, finding your people and daring to aim high.
Marlley: Let’s start off with where are you from and who is your mob?
Isaac: I live in Bairnsdale, East Gippsland. I’m a proud Gunai Kurnai man from East Gippsland, Victoria and I board at Geelong Grammar.
Ruben: I’m from Robinvale, New South Wales. I’m a proud Bundjalung man from North New South Wales.
Cathy: I’m from Queensland and am a Kuku Yalanji and Birri Gubba woman.
Boarding school then and now
Marlley: Cathy, you went to boarding school in Fairholme in Toowoomba and then Kooralbyn. Why did you want to go to boarding school?
Cathy: My initial reaction is because my parents told me to. But then I just trusted in the direction that they were giving me, and here I am today.
Marlley: I think that’s how it starts off for a lot of us, to be honest. Mum told us we’re going to boarding school, so we pack our bags and we go. What was it like back then without a mobile phone and how often did you call back home?
Cathy: It felt fine because you didn’t know anything different, really. You just accepted it. But I tell you what, I think we were allowed maybe one or two phone calls home a week, so it was much needed oxygen. It was a lifesaver. It’s fine now, but at the time it was pretty desperate times for those phone calls home.
Friends for life
Marlley: Ruben, what’s your favorite thing about Geelong Grammar School?
Ruben: My favourite thing is getting to spend every day with my mates. We do everything together, whether it’s going out for dinner, getting up and heading to breakfast, or just hanging out during the day.
Marlley: While you’re at school, make your friends a priority and put in the effort. My best friends still include the two Yalari girls I went to school with, Tahlia and Cassie. Ruben, what does a good friend mean to you and what are their qualities?
Ruben: A good friend to me is someone that can show up, support you whenever you need it and just be there for you all the time.
Marlley: Are you still friends with the girls you went to boarding school with Cathy?
Cathy: Absolutely. I was recently visiting one of my oldest friends from Fairholme, Petrina, and I just love her to bits. I just adore her and qualify her as one of those ride or die types of friends.
Learning beyond the classroom
Marlley: Isaac, all Geelong Grammar School students spend a year at the Timbertop Campus for Year 9 and build up to some very long hikes and runs. What was it like to complete that final 33 kilometre run?
Isaac: Timbertop was a great year out in the bush which really taught me a lot about resilience and culture, just living out there with your mates, you don’t get that opportunity many other places. I think it taught me a lot about character and who I am today. It built on the support from my friends and families, teachers … they all helped me up and it was a good year. It was good to finish. I’m proud of myself and how far I’ve come from it.
Marlley: How did school and running fit together for you and what did you take from school that stayed with you beyond the sport?
Cathy: I definitely got a real connection into life outside of my hometown and seeing the world outside of the comfort of my home was particularly profound because it sets you up for life moving forward. It sets you up for life ahead that you can’t even possibly imagine. So, at the time you don’t realise what you’re learning. It isn’t until – sometimes years later – that you look back and you think, gosh, I learnt a lot. In the classroom, but more so out of the classroom as well.
Dreams for life after school
Marlley: Isaac, what are you hoping to do when you complete school and why?
Isaac: From a very young age, I’ve always wanted to be a professional athlete in football. It’s been a long-held dream and I am just building on that gradually throughout my years at school. Hopefully it goes well.
Marlley: Do you have any advice on that, Cathy, while we’re here?
Cathy: Athlete to athlete, I think it’s important to give oxygen to your absolute, ultimate dream. You can entertain the idea in your own head but share it with those around you who will support you. I think that’s important and not to be afraid to aim high.
Marlley: Ruben, what about you?
Ruben: I’ve changed over the past few years. When I was in Year 7, I thought I was going to be an architect. Now that I am in Year 11, I want to go to Uni and do a physio course or go to TAFE and do a PT course. The reason why I play heaps of sport is that I find it interesting with how the body works.
Cathy Freeman and Yalari alumna Marlley McNamara sharing stories from their time at boarding school and reflecting on the people who helped shape their journeys
Isaac (left) and Ruben (right), Year 11 students at Geelong Grammar School, speaking about friendship, their hopes for the future, and the importance of family
Cathy’s road to Olympic gold
Marlley: Cathy, what did you think you were going to do after school? I’m guessing it was sport. Were you training to be a runner from a really young age or was it another sport?
Cathy: No, it was always running. I think I came out of my mother as a runner. I remember, even at boarding school with nine other girls, before bedtime we’d all be talking and imagining what our lives might look like after school, and I was always going to be the runner.
Marlley: When was the first moment that you realised, “hey, I’m faster than most people”?
Cathy: I don’t think I did because my running … there’s not a lot of thinking involved. You’re just kind of feeling it and just having an absolute joyful time. But I think it dawned on me when I won my second world title. When you love what you do, and Waverley is going to back me up because, when you’re a kid from the bush, you just go on pure joy and sheer joy. All of a sudden you realise, oh my God, my life’s been quite structured and disciplined and here I am.
Marlley: So many of us have seen the footage of you winning your gold medal in Sydney. How did you do that? It wasn’t even close. You really won that without a doubt.
Cathy: Yes, I was pretty clear on what I wanted to do … and you have to be very clear, day in and day out, day in and day out, and cultivate this sort of life of excellence, I dare say. And again, coming back to that aiming high piece.
Cathy’s hero: her big sister
Marlley: Who was your hero when you were at school and why, and who is your hero now and why?
Cathy: There’s a sort of a small galaxy of people I absolutely aspire to be. If you’re thinking of track and field specifically, it was probably those great American greats. Carl Lewis was up there, Flo-Jo in the late 80s … they were the pinnacle of Olympic glory.
But on a really personal level – deeply personal – it would have to be my late big sister who had severe cerebral palsy. She’s always kept me on the path, so to speak.
Marlley: And would you say that she’s still your hero now as well?
Cathy: Oh, without a doubt. Without a doubt.
Marlley: What’s the best advice you got when it got tough and who gave it to you?
Cathy: It would have to be my mother. When I was around 13 or 14, I wanted to stop running and stop training and go off and do what other usual 13- or 14-year-olds do. She gave me tough love and said, Catherine, you’ve got this gift and your big sister just does not. I think you need to just think closely, think a bit more about what choice you want to make here.
The families behind every dream
Marlley: Isaac, do you have a hero and why?
Isaac: Yeah, I do. My dad is a big role model in my life and he teaches me a lot of character and gives me a lot of strength. He gets me through a lot and is always there for me no matter what. I really do look up to him because I want to follow in his footsteps and what he’s doing. He’s doing a lot for the community and he’s a good dad.
Ruben: A role model for me would be my mum. She always puts me and my little brother first before herself. She visits me down here in Geelong whenever she can and that inspires me.
Marlley: What a testimony to the parents behind all of us as well. I know it’s really hard for a lot of our mums, dads, aunties and grandparents when they send us away to really achieve our dreams. So, shout out to the parents.
Always aim high
Marlley: What advice would you give any one of us Geelong Grammar School students about chasing your dreams and goals?
Cathy: I think I touched on it earlier. There’s no fantasy or dream that’s too much. Always aim high and give oxygen to it. Don’t just let it live inside of you, but actually share it with others, especially others who you know will support you every step of the way.
Marlley: And the last question is for you, Cathy, as well. I see your daughter is here with you tonight. What are your aspirations for her and what’s the most important thing to you about being her mum?
Cathy: Gosh, I just want her to feel inner peace and love because I think the rest will follow. My greatest hope is that she feels the love that I have for her unquestionably.
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
