Each week at St Ignatius’ College Riverview, Yalari students know they’ll find Anne Collins waiting for them in Academic Support.
Anne is a recently retired paediatric haematologist who also ran her husband’s surgical practice. After decades in busy hospitals and private rooms, she now spends part of her retirement in a quieter setting – sitting alongside students, helping with schoolwork and getting to know them.
Over the years she has given her time to her children’s schools, their sporting clubs and Guide Dogs, and she now also helps three elderly relatives to stay in their own homes. Service has been a steady thread in her life.
When Anne started as a volunteer tutor at Riverview in Term 3, she quickly became a valued part of the support team. Scott, who coordinates Yalari’s program at the school, says:
“She is an incredible volunteer with so much care for the students. A highlight of my week is reading her tutor feedback submissions.”
Her notes are detailed and thoughtful. She looks beyond whether homework is finished, noticing how students tackle challenges, support each other and show quiet leadership. She might highlight a student who asks for help early and stays with a difficult maths problem, an older boy whose attitude lifts everyone around him, or younger boys working together as one of them solves a complex question and explains it to the others.
For Anne, this time with students is both practical and deeply rewarding.
“I firmly believe that education is the way of empowering children to give them greater control over their futures and their life choices,” she says. “If I can help even one young Indigenous student in a practical way, that matters to me.
“It has also very much been a two-way street. I have found the experience really rewarding, and it has expanded my knowledge of, and given me a better understanding of, Indigenous culture.”
Individually, the moments Anne describes can seem small. Together, they add up. Each week, she uses her skills and time to help students stay engaged with school and their own learning, while also learning from the students herself.
Year 9 Riverview student Angus agrees.
“Anne really was a pivotal asset to my learning. She was easy to get along with and was really helpful with anything I needed help with.”
Through Yalari’s Aspire Academic Program, extra support is now reaching more students. In 2024, Aspire supported 142 students through tutoring and mentoring, partnering with 18 of our schools, 38 community volunteers and 30 tutors. This collaboration supported stronger literacy and numeracy outcomes: 87% of students met or exceeded their grades from the previous term, and the number of tutored students more than doubled.
When volunteers can see the difference they’re making for one student in one room, everyone benefits. They are another person who can notice when the students are doing their best or having a hard day, and who offer encouragement that is specific, timely and linked to real effort. Students can then gain confidence and connection with another trusted adult; volunteers also experience purpose, enjoyment and a stronger sense of belonging.
Anne shows leadership in the way she serves. She turns up each week, listens, offers patient explanations, and shares what she has noticed so others can better support the boys. Over time, these small, consistent actions can shape a student’s day and their direction.
We are grateful to Anne for the generosity, professionalism and care she brings each week at Riverview – and to all volunteers who walk alongside Yalari students in similar ways.
For Yalari, a scholarship is just the start. Students do best when they’re wrapped in strong relationships – with family, schools, boarding staff, Elders, mentors and volunteers. People like Anne are part of that safety net.
If you, or someone you know, would like to support Yalari students through volunteering—as a tutor or in other roles—please get in touch. Our long-term aims for educational opportunity and self-determined futures depend on many people choosing, like Anne, to give a little of themselves, consistently, over time – and being open to what they will learn along the way.
