Reghan excelling in Yalari Captain role

Waverly Stanley AM, Reghan Bayles and Dr John Kinniburgh, Headmaster, Toowoomba Grammar School

“With two new year seven students on Yalari scholarships at TGS this year, I am enjoying the responsibility to engage, mentor and guide them through what can be a challenging transition to boarding school.”

Reghan came to TGS from the rural town of Eidsvold, which has a population of approx. 600 people, in the North Burnett Region of Queensland.

He remembers how scary it was to begin boarding and how grateful he was to have the other Yalari boys around to help him through homesickness.

“For young Indigenous teenagers, it can be tough being so far away from home and culture and their homeland.”

As part of his Yalari Captain role, Reghan meets with the Headmaster and the Indigenous Education Coordinator regularly to help shape the support for the Indigenous cohort at TGS.

Reghan said it felt good that things were moving forward with the school’s Indigenous program, with excursions, lunches throughout the year, and a dedicated room on campus for Indigenous boys if they needed somewhere to go during morning tea or lunch.