HASTINGS Secondary College captains were among a gathering of more than one hundred school students and school representatives from across NSW for a Leadership Day in Sydney.
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It is conducted at the NSW Parliament and includes a visit to Government House to meet His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Ret’d) Governor of New South Wales.
The leadership program provides students the opportunity to meet elected representatives and develop their knowledge of parliamentary proceedings including the role of the Governor and the workings of the Parliament.
During the program students visit the Chamber or the House to view proceedings, followed by a visit to Government House to meet the Governor.
Hastings Secondary College School captains at the Port Macquarie Campus, Isabelle Woodham and Shawn Wilson joined Westport Campus captains Lachlan Hamilton and Kristy Field on the visit.
"Standing on the lawn looking at the harbour was the most amazing experience,” Isabelle said.
“I think it was a reality check that anything is possible. With persistence, you really can achieve remarkable things".
Lachlan said they gained valuable knowledge on how government works and how they make decisions.
“It has a big bearing on our lives, so it was good to see those decisions and how it will impact us,” he said.
“One of the things they spoke about in their political parties for example is about how they work together and bring their own unique strengths to the table, working together as a team to make decisions similar to what we do in the school.”
“Seeing leadership from a higher point of view was great,” Kristy added.
“We learnt how to be aware of all the different views around you, and how to work with that.”
Keen to one day be a politician himself, Shawn was keen for the trip.
“I always get enthusiastic whenever we do anything with politics, because it does impact our lives,” he said.
“Politics is naturally boring, but you have to frame it in a way that’s interesting to engage people.”