A group of eight students from Ignatius Park College had the well-deserved opportunity to proudly represent their Aboriginal and Torres Strait communities as the season’s first flag bearers at 1300SMILES Stadium last week.
Aimed at rewarding their outstanding commitment to their studies, different students are offered the opportunity to carry their cultural flag on-field for the official National Anthem performance each home game, as part of the Cowboys Learn Earn Legend! program.
Learn Earn Legend! provides Indigenous students enrolled in years 11 and 12 at participating North Queensland schools with the support they need to complete their secondary education and move into further study, training or employment.
Cowboys Community Foundation director Fiona Pelling said the flag bearer concept was developed to recognise students who showed exceptional motivation to succeed.
“A lot of the students involved in the program are avid Cowboys supporters, so they all jump at the chance to be involved in our game day,” Ms Pelling said.
“While it serves as a way to reward individual students, it’s also a special moment for students to recognise their family and pay their respects to all North Queensland traditional owners; their elders both past and present.”
Funded by the Australian Government, the program taps into an extensive network of corporate and education partners to assist students to establish their career pathways, become work-ready and improve the school-to-work transition.
For more information on Learn Earn Legend!, visit cowboysfoundation.org.au.
