Well thank you very much, please sit down now children, it's very nice of you all to do that, thank you. Leigh and Tiana, the principal, the district director, my parliamentary colleague Barry Haase, parents, teachers and the students of Boulder Primary School and of the eight or nine other schools, both government and independent, that are represented here today.
I'm very pleased to have the opportunity of saying just a few words to you and to thank you very much for having me at your school so early in the new school year. I try as I travel around Australia as much as I possibly can to visit schools, to say hello, to share a few thoughts about the importance of education and to listen to what the young people of different schools have to say to me and their thoughts about the future of our wonderful country. And I'm very aware as I talk to you here in Kalgoorlie at the Boulder Primary School of the big part that this part of Australia played in the history of our country, not only because of its fame in relation to gold, but also the very big part the people of Kalgoorlie and the surrounding districts played in the decision of Western Australia way back more than 100 years ago to enter the Commonwealth of Australia. And it was the decision of many of your ancestors in this part of Australia that played a very important role in the coming together of the then colonies and the building of the Commonwealth of Australia.
The beginning of a school year is always an opportunity to say something about the importance of schooling. I was no different from any of you, I didn't race off to school on the very first occasion understanding that everything about it was going to be enticing and wonderful. But as time went by I learned the value of schooling. I went to a primary school, it wasn't called the Boulder Primary School, it was called the Earlwood Primary School in Sydney and then I went onto a school called Canterbury Boys High School. I can still remember my very early years at Earlwood Primary School, I can still remember quite a lot of the teachers I had there who worked very hard to help me and to educate me and to introduce me to the understanding of a lot of things that have been very valuable to me as I've gone through in life, to the understanding of history, the understanding of our language, but very importantly also the understanding of how we relate to one another. And whenever I go to a school gathering I give one little story from my own experience at being at school that I've always remembered and I think it's very important to all of us, and that is that you tend to meet two types of people in life whether it's at school or in the workplace or in the community - there's the person who's always complaining and always grizzling about something and always finding fault with things, and then there's the person who always sees the best in people and is always optimistic and hopeful about the future. And you know what I found boys and girls is that invariably, without exception, the happiest people I've met in life are the people who think positively and think the best of people. And you'll find as you go through school that even though some people may irritate you and you may not like them, there's always something about them that is good and if you try and seek out and think about the good thing about them, even when you're annoying you, you'll find as you get older that you end up a far happier person than if you focus on the bad things about them and the negative things about them because everybody has, or most people have in them a grain of good and very good intentions, a lot of people have more in them than others but everybody has a good side and if you think well of people and you seek our their good side rather than their bad side or their negative side you'll become, in my experience a much happier and a far more positive person.
The other thing, and the final thing I want to say to you about school is that teachers are a very important part of your life, the values of course that you find shape your life are particularly taken from your home. The role of teachers is important, teaching is a very important profession, it's very important to the future of this country, teachers work very hard in your interests and even though you may not like it on occasions, you may not think it's fair, you should always respect and listen to what they say because they have your interests at heart and if you listen to them and you take their advice that is going to be of great benefit to you. I still remember with great affection several teachers I had at primary school, they had an influence on me, they taught me how to learn, they taught me many things that I found to be very valuable as I got older. And the very last thing I want to say that remember that all of us are very privileged to live in a great country. Australia is a secure country, people respect each other despite their differences, their different backgrounds and their different cultures and we have to work hard to preserve that, we have a great history which we all should be proud of, this country should never feel that it doesn't have a rich history and a very positive history. We've achieved a lot and we're respected around the world for what we have achieved.
So keep those thoughts in mind, thank you very, very much indeed for having me. I wish the school well, I'm glad that a lot of parents are here today because good schools are always schools that are communities of students, of teachers and parents. And I always encourage parents to, the maximum extent possible, to participate in the activities and support the activities of their school. So to all of you, have a great year, listen to your teachers, take their advice, and remember importantly find the good in everybody because not only is that good for the school, but it will make you a much happier person.
Thank you.
[ends]