When Kelly, a longtime family friend, offered to host a group of Year 7 boarders for the weekend, she wanted to make it special. She spent a week gently asking one of the boys — Quade, from Bamaga — about his favourite meal.
“Tell me your favourite meal. I’m going to cook it for you.”
Finally, sitting across the table, Quade answered.
“Well… it’s turtle.”
For Andrew Hawkins, Headmaster of The Southport School, the moment captures something essential about the Yalari partnership. “It was a humorous way to say we never stop learning,” he says. “Different foods, different stories, different ways of life. These kids are teaching us way more than we’re teaching them.”
21 years of learning alongside Yalari
Andrew has been on staff at TSS for 21 years — the entire span of the school’s Yalari journey. He grew up in Emerald in Central Queensland, and his father was from the Northern Territory. Time spent out there as a child shaped how he sees his responsibility today.
Before Yalari, TSS tried to establish its own First Nations scholarship pathway. With hindsight, Andrew says the school simply wasn’t equipped.
“We had the intent, but not the understanding or the support structures around the boys. Yalari brought that — relationships with families, camps, ongoing support. That changed everything.”
He sees boarding schools, when they work closely with families and trusted partners, as places where strong structures can support young people to thrive. “Boarding schools are one place we can get this right. The routine and structure help set these kids up for success. It’s not always perfect, but we keep learning.”
Where it all begins: camp
Andrew is especially passionate about the role of Yalari orientation camps. For him, they’re where foundations are laid — first friendships, first experiences away from Country, first sense that there’s a wider network of students, staff and Elders who understand what it means to be a Yalari scholar.
“We’ve learned so much from the families and communities who’ve trusted us with their children. We’re proud to be part of their stories, and grateful they’re part of ours .”- Andrew Hawkins
“A lot of people support Yalari in general, but when you sponsor camps specifically, that’s what sets students up. It’s the first time they leave home.”
He’s watched that moment play out year after year. “Every single time — every time you go home — it’s just as hard to come back. It doesn’t matter which term it is: Term 1 in Year 7, Term 4 in Year 12. It’s still really hard to leave home.”
That reality makes the early camp experience even more significant. “It starts with camp — first time away from home, building those relationships — and then you’re on the journey together.”
Walking with Arnido
Among the many Yalari scholars who’ve come through TSS, Andrew often points to Arnido (Nido) from Bamaga as an example of what happens when family, Yalari and school work closely together.
“Arnido is just so special,” Andrew says. “To be on our Dean’s List, you have to get six out of seven As in junior school. In senior, five out of six. There’s not much room for error.”
On top of that, Nido is accelerated in both English and Mathematics. [lightly edited] “You’re not just getting an A in Year 7 — you’re getting an A in Year 8 Maths and English as well.”
If a student achieves those grades every semester for three years, they receive the Scholars’ Tie — a recognition many TSS boys strive for. “Arnido got it at the end of Year 9,” Andrew says. “He did not miss.”
The context makes it even more remarkable. Nido started during COVID, with no Yalari camp to ease the transition. He was the first student from Bamaga that TSS had ever welcomed. [lightly edited] “With all those challenges, he has just gone from strength to strength. He’s set his sights on becoming a doctor, and we’ll be so proud of him.”
But what stands out most to Andrew isn’t the academic record.
“With all those achievements, it means nothing to him if his sister doesn’t get a journey,” he says. “That’s what he cares about most. That tells you everything about his values — and about the families and communities our scholars come from.”
Still growing, still learning
TSS celebrates 125 years this year, and Yalari is building toward 20 years of impact. Andrew sees both histories as deeply connected — and still unfolding.
None of it happens in isolation. Behind every student’s journey is a network of families, communities, staff, and supporters. “Without the care and financial support of our sponsors and partners, it simply wouldn’t happen. Those contributions aren’t abstract — they’re sitting in our classrooms, in our boarding houses, in the lives of kids like Arnido.”
“We’ve learned so much from the families and communities who’ve trusted us with their children. We’re proud to be part of their stories, and grateful they’re part of ours.”
“We never stop learning, and we’ll keep learning for the next 20 years. We’ll keep walking alongside, and we’ll keep doing our best to get it right.”
