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West Australian
26-05-2025
- Politics
- West Australian
Kate Emery: It might be the first time you have heard of Tremane Baxter-Edwards, but it won't be the last
One of the great privileges of being a journalist, beyond commanding universal adoration and preposterously high wages, is the chance to meet people with power, influence and fame. But for my job, the likelihood I would ever have enjoyed a sit-down chat with WA Premier Roger Cook, singer Delta Goodrem or — a career highlight, sorry Rog — legendary chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov is slim to none. Less often, journalists have the chance to meet someone who is not a household name but who seems so clearly destined for big things that the temptation to snap a selfie — if only to one day impress the grandkids — almost overwhelms professional decorum. First Nations youth leader Tremane Baxter-Edwards is just such a person. Before interviewing the Ngarinyin-Walmajarri man for today's Reconciliation Week edition, all I knew about Mr Baxter-Edwards was that he had once talked, at 17, about his ambition to be the first Indigenous prime minister. Like many cynical adults who read that story, I suspect, I smiled indulgently and filed it alongside my daughter's vow to be a singer when she grows up 'but more famous than Taylor Swift'. Then I interviewed Mr Baxter-Edwards, now 18, and took it all back. Elders like Patrick Dodson are rightly held in huge regard for the work they have achieved towards reconciliation. But if the reconciliation movement is to have a future — and it does — it needs a new generation of leaders like Mr Baxter-Edwards to take the baton from the trailblazers who have come before them. Mr Baxter-Edwards may have grown up in a different Australia to the Indigenous elders who came before him but he is not so far removed from this country's many historic injustices: his grandmother worked all her life not for wages but for rations. He sees in the younger generation a more progressive Australia, with strong spirits and a desire for Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians to flourish alongside each other. And his views on the so-called culture wars and the way in which Indigenous people have been politically weaponised, should be read closely by any political party that wants to capture the next generation of increasingly-powerful young voters. 'Australia is a country for everybody and the ugliness that occurred during the last window of the Federal election should never in a million years be tolerated,' Mr Baxter-Edwards said of the debate around Welcome to Country after a prominent neo-nazi heckled the traditional ceremony on Anzac Day. 'There's a fine line between having a disagreement on something and having no respect. 'Young people are not into culture wars. Young people are not into leaders who won't stand in front of all three flags — the Australian flag, the WA flag and the Aboriginal flag. I think young people don't want disingenuous leaders who say they're here to unite the country and represent all but who put down Aboriginal people.' Raised in Wyndham and educated at Aquinas College, Mr Baxter-Edwards is big on the value of education and the need to give anyone who wants it the opportunity for work. He sees the value in — and difficulty of — 'walking in two worlds': the high-wire act of an Indigenous person who exists in both the Western world and on country. He also thinks there is scope for the State Government to be doing more, in parallel to the work being done at a national level. 'For example, the Heritage Act that the State introduced in Parliament, got passed and then within two weeks shelved the legislation — that's not working with all parties,' he said. 'They worked with the Aboriginal people but you need to work with everyone. What everyone tends to forget is reconciliation is not just about us. We need the non-Indigenous folks to come with us, we need the farmers and the pastoralists and the mining people to come with us. 'It's not a journey we should be walking alone.' One of the great pitfalls of being a journalist is the requirement of the job to reduce complex people to a simple one-line description. Mr Baxter-Edwards is a proud Ngarinyin-Walmajarri man but he is other things too. He is a childhood cancer survivor. A big brother. A scholarship student. A federal adviser to the First Nations Reference Group and the Australian Government First Nations Education Youth Advisory Group. He is a TAFE student, studying tourism. He is a ranger at the El Questro Wilderness Park. He is a reminder to older generations not to underestimate the young. And if he winds up being Australia's first Indigenous prime minister, well, then I'll really regret not getting that selfie.
NZ Herald
23-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Secondary School basketball: Aquinas College wins nationals
Wade said the team had forged an unbreakable, unbeaten bond in their three-on-three season. Wade said that he, Kaumoana, and Flavell tasted success last year, winning the same tournament but losing one game in the previous year's tournament. 'But then we went on to win.' Wade and Kaumoana were selected for the tournament All-Star roster, Wade said. Kaumoana became the go-to scorer for the team, netting 92 points and being named MVP for the tournament. 'We just started throwing the ball to Kaumoana, and he would get us the points to win.' Three-on-three is a quicker, more offensive style of basketball with no coach present. Teams need to net 21 points or have the highest score before the final whistle, and the game has a shorter shot clock, Wade said. 'You don't have as much time to think.' Flavell, Kaumoana, and Wade play on the Tauranga Whai basketball team, where they learn to play with other athletes of different ages and ethnicities. 'It is pretty competitive,' he said. The Whai are now in their second season and are slowly building a fan base, Wade said. Wade said the boys make up the Aquinas College five-on-five side and are single-A national champions. The boys kept to a strict twice-a-week training schedule between their training for the five-a-side squad, he said. Flavell, Kaumoana, and Wade have played together on the same team since Year 10 and described their play as having a 'telepathy' to it. 'We knew what each other was thinking on the court,' Wade said. Single-A competition includes schools with fewer than 500 students, and this year, the team will face off against some of the largest double-A schools, Wade said. After this season, the three seniors will hand over the reins to Workman, who started playing basketball competitively a year ago. Wade said he is confident that Workman will be able to carry on the legacy of the current team and that he needs to find the right players. 'Bring them up to like your level and push each other,' Wade said. The talent and dedication of the Aquinas basketball students was remarkable, principal Matt Dalton said. 'Schools of our size shouldn't be competing for national titles. We're competing at schools in the thousands, where we're in the hundreds,' Dalton said.
NZ Herald
22-04-2025
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Bay of Plenty leaders honour Pope Francis' legacy of social justice and care
In what became his final public appearance, the Argentine pontiff greeted crowds in St Peter's Square on Easter Sunday. Francis 'challenged you', Muller said. 'To think of less fortunate people, then to orientate your politics and your activity towards it.' Muller said the pope was a prayerful and reflective person. 'I think we need people like that in our society to help orient it at times.' Aquinas College principal Matt Dalton said Francis was a champion for social justice and marginalised groups in society. 'We give thanks for his witness,' Dalton said. The Catholic school community prayed and reflected on Francis' death and would provide guidance for students when they return to school. St Mary's Catholic School Tauranga said in a post to social media that their school community would 'join the faithful around the world in mourning his loss and giving thanks for his humility, compassion, and service'. 'We invite all our students, staff, and families to keep Pope Francis in your prayers.' Prime Minister Christopher Luxon paid tribute to Francis and said it was a 'time of great sorrow for all those who have admired Pope Francis' compassion and humility'. Winston Peters, who is Acting Prime Minister while Luxon is in Britain, said on behalf of the Government and the New Zealand people, 'We extend our deepest condolences to the Holy See and the global Roman Catholic community on the passing of Francis. 'We join in mourning his loss and honour his enduring legacy of humility and compassion.' A joint statement from Father Prakash Somu and Father Mohan Kumar of Rotorua's Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop Parish said a special Requiem Mass would be held at Saint Mary's Church on Wednesday at 12.05pm 'to honour the life, ministry, and legacy of Pope Francis'. 'All are welcome to come and pray, give thanks, and reflect on the hope and humility he brought to the church and the world.' The statement said many parishioners had the privilege of seeing Francis during World Youth Days and pilgrimages to Rome. 'Most notably, the bishops of New Zealand have met with him personally, and they often spoke of his warmth, simplicity, and his genuine care for all people. 'He was a pope who truly lived the Gospel – a shepherd who smelled of the sheep, as he liked to say – and we will remember him with deep affection.' They said their prayer was that the new pope would continue the 'spirit of mercy and inclusivity Francis embodied – championing the poor, caring for creation, and being a bridge-builder in a divided world'. 'We hope the new Holy Father will listen deeply to the cries of the Earth and of humanity, guiding the church with wisdom, compassion, and courage in today's complex world.' John Paul College principal Justin Harper said: 'We were saddened to hear the news last night, especially after seeing that Pope Francis was able to attend the Easter Mass at the Vatican.' The college would start the next term with a memorial service to celebrate Francis' life and contribution, and flags were at half-mast as a sign of respect, he said. 'Pope Francis will be remembered as a 'first' for the church. He was the first South American pope and also the first Jesuit pope. 'His legacy includes positive changes to the church, which include a recent synod.'
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
W MI Catholics remember Pope Francis for ‘care of creation'
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — People in West Michigan are remembering Pope Francis and the legacy he leaves behind on Monday. He was 88. Mass attendees at Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Chapel on Aquinas College's campus were reflecting on the life and legacy of Pope Francis. What was Pope Francis' Easter message? 'What a great blessing for him to be willing, to be able to be with his people on Easter to give an Easter blessing and then to pass away on the Monday after. To be taken to his heavenly home,' Helen Milanowski, a Catholic attending mass at Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Chapel on Monday, said. While she says she didn't agree with every decision the pope made, she appreciated his service to Christ. 'I know he was always very concerned about marginalized people, poor people, and certainly I admire him for bringing that to our attention,' she said. West Michigan reacts to death of Pope Francis The Diocese of Grand Rapids says Pope Francis connected with people in West Michigan despite the physical distance to Vatican City. 'His emphasis on ministry to the margins, his emphasis on care for the immigrant, the poor, the marginalized. His focus on care of creation,' Rev. Colin Mulhall, vicar general of the Diocese of Grand Rapids, said. His appeal went beyond Catholics and was respected by religious and world leaders. 'Pope Francis in particular, but sort of the papacy in general, is not just for Catholics. I think Pope Francis, in a particular way, sort of exemplifies that just the way in which he appeals not just to Catholics but to other Christians of other denominations and even non-Christian people of goodwill. People of good faith,' Mulhall said. Vatican releases cause of death for Pope Francis While many saw the pope on television, parishioners at St. Sebastian Catholic Church in Byron Center went on a trip to Italy in October of 2024 and saw the pope with their own eyes. 'He went by the first time, and he just kind of gave a smile and a blessing. Thought it was over and someone near me said, 'No, he's coming back again,'' Daniel Allan, parishioner and staff member of St. Sebastian Catholic Church, said. Pope Francis blessed a Zucchetto — a type of hat worn by clergy. It now sits next to a picture of the pope in the church, along with a candle lit in his honor. 'They stopped the car, and he smiled, and his aide (put) the Zucchetto on his hat, on his head, smiled and gave it right back. It was just really beautiful,' Allan said. Parishioners say they will continue to pray for the church during this period of mourning. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Aquinas College president resigns after three years
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The president of Aquinas College has resigned, according to the school. Alicia Cordoba put in her immediate resignation Monday, according to an letter from Aquinas College Board of Trustees Chair John Lowery that was sent to alumni and donors. Cordoba was in 2022 as the school's ninth president and the first woman to hold the position. Aquinas College inaugurates first woman president Aquinas did not say why Cordoba resigned. Lowery thanked her for her dedication and role in fundraising, enrollment and the focusing on the school's Catholic faith and mission. Sister Maureen Geary, who has served on the faculty, staff and Board of Trustees, will act as interim president until a new president is chosen, the letter said. 'Sister Maureen is a true friend to our campus and a faithful presence representing the Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids with our students, faculty, staff and alumni. She is both an accountant and an attorney, skill sets that will serve our community particularly well,' Lowery wrote. Aquinas College names new president He said a committee of representatives across the college will be formed to guide the search for president. 'While we are in transition as a College community, we have both faith and hope for a bright future,' Lowery wrote. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
