Class of 1957 member, David Atkinson OAM was inducted into the Emmanuel College Inspiring Alumni in 2012. David had a long career in education and contributed much to the Warrnambool community, including a long commitment to the Warrnambool Surf Lifesaving Club that resulted in a Life Membership. A former Mayor of Warrnambool, the Municipal Association of Victoria awarded David a certificate for Outstanding Service and a Mayor Emeritus award. In 2003 David was given a wonderful honour when he was awarded an ‘Order of Australia’ for services to the community of Warrnambool particularly through Local Government. David was also recognised in 2015 with a Life Governorship of Lyndoch Living honouring his service with their board since 1996 and most recently in 2016 as Warrnambool’s 2016 Citizen of the Year.
Following in David’s footsteps is his grandson Luke, a member of the Class of 2016. Luke is the Youth Mayor of Warrnambool and a Learning Support Team staff member at Emmanuel College while he completes a traineeship during 2017. We caught up with David and Luke in June.
Luke: Well, I joined the Youth Council at the beginning of last year because I thought that I wanted to give back to the community in some way and that was one of the ways that I thought I could. It’s been a tremendous experience just coming together as Youth Council and addressing the needs and concerns of young people in the community. We are a cohesive Youth Council, a group of 16 students from various schools in Warrnambool. We address the concerns and the issues that young people bring to us and we forward some of those concerns to the senior Council with the intention that they will be used in the city plan as well.
Luke: To create a successful Youth Council that explains the enormous challenges and opportunities that young people face in our community today.
Luke: I have had certain issues that I wanted to bring to Council, and I have. This year we are focusing on drug and alcohol first aid especially among young people, which is a key issue in our area along with career pathways and tertiary education - those are the sorts of issues we’ve brought to Youth Council. It certainly does improve your skills. If you think about it, it can boost your public speaking skills, your communication skills, people skills - all of that.
Luke: Absolutely. Yes, I have been influenced by my grandfather to pursue my involvement in the community, especially on Council. If it weren’t for him, I probably wouldn’t be on Youth Council and where I am today. Emmanuel College has certainly also influenced me to go to Youth Council and participate in many community projects. I was involved in Young Vinnies since I was in Year 7 when it began in 2011 and it has given me the incentive to be more involved within the community.
David: I think he’s far too modest. I think he is a very individual person who is prepared to see something and go for it and he’s done most of this on his own initiative. Hopefully I’ve given some guidance in the background, but I certainly haven’t influenced him in his thinking.
David: It would have to have had some influence on my background. It certainly was interesting years when we were going to CBC. I can recall the building of the main block down Canterbury Road. I was there at the opening of that. I can remember standing when we formed a guard of honour down at the very corner of Canterbury Road and Bromfield Street for the Bishop to walk down. I shared a lot of exciting times with a lot of boys who are now ex-pupils of CBC and I’ve remained friends with over those years.
Yes it certainly had some influence on my life, plus the fact my family was so involved with the Christian Brothers in the days gone by. And with the Mercy nuns here at St Ann’s as it was then.
David: Good question, although I think it’s somebody else’s job to answer that question, I don’t think I can answer that myself. I think I had a very strong involvement in the, for example, Hopkins River Bridge. We’ve got that. I had an influencing factor in the Ferguson Street railway bridge. We had that replaced. So I suppose, a couple of concrete things being the two bridges, but I would like to think that I was very fortunate enough to work with some very good city councillors, over the years that I was involved.
Editors note: David first stood for election to the Warrnambool City Council in 1987. This was the beginning of 21 years of involvement in Local Government. In 1990, following his return at the Council election in that year, David was elected Mayor for the first occasion. This appointment was to be repeated six more times during his years as a Councillor. In 1992, while Mayor, David represented the City at the signing of the Sister City Agreement with Miura City Japan. The relationship between the two cities is still strong after 25 years. During the restructure of Local Government under the Kennett State Government David was appointed a Commissioner for Local Government working in the newly formed Moyne Shire with two other Commissioners. This work necessitated the bringing together of 5 local government areas into one - Moyne Shire. Since 1996 David has served on the Board of Lyndoch where he has held the position of Chairman on two occasions. He also served on the South West Community Road Safety Council and is currently serving on the Victorian Community Road Safety Alliance. He was recently appointed to the Warrnambool Cemetery Trust and is the current Treasurer of the Surf Club. David has also spent time as an Apexian and is currently a Rotarian with the Rotary Club of Warrnambool East.
David: I’m very proud of Luke. I think Luke, as I’ve said earlier, he is an individual person and he is prepared to have a go at things when he sees something that needs to be done. That makes me very proud and it certainly is a very proud thing to see one of your own going down that pathway of public involvement. I think that’s really great.
I’d love to see him become an Australian identity in the journalism world. I’d like to see him achieve those goals that he’s already set himself and he did so from a very early age. I’d like to see him achieve those things as he passes down through life. He’s the only one I know that used to buy every newspaper that came out and this was in about Year 7 and 8. He would read every newspaper he could get his hands on.
I have been influenced by my grandfather to pursue my involvement in the community, especially on Council. If it weren’t for him, I probably wouldn’t be on Youth Council and where I am today.
David: I think the greatest challenge confronting youth today is drugs. It certainly wasn’t a big issue when we were growing up. I suppose the biggest drug that we had to affect us was cigarette smoking and alcohol and they were more in the background than a major influence. But the drugs today are going to kill society unless we do something about it.
David: I would personally like to say thanks Emmanuel College for the work they have done over the years since their formation back in 1991. I think they’ve influenced lots of young people. I go right back to the time when Toni McCormack was the mayor of the City of Warrnambool, first lady mayor in Warrnambool, and she was very strong on promoting a Junior Council as it was then. And it was at about that time that CBC and St Ann’s started to take an active role in Youth Council or the Junior Council and to see it come along as far as it has. I like the name change from Junior Council to Youth Council. I think its more representative of the young people of Warrnambool. And I think the aims and objectives they set for themselves are going to be very positive in making sure that the youth is heard.
Luke: Just to reiterate what my grandfather David has just said. Emmanuel College has many strengths but for me, the most important and obvious strength is the support given to students. My teachers inspired me to achieve my goals and achieve my personal best. The College takes a very positive approach to teaching and educating students and ensuring that all students have the ability to make the most of the opportunities given to them. Being invited to return to the College as an employee in 2017 while I undertake a traineeship has been an incredibly positive experience. The people who were my teachers are now my colleagues and they have been extremely warm and welcoming. I know that I belong, and that I’m a valued member of the staff here at Emmanuel. When I leave at the end of the traineeship I know that I will still belong, as the College has a strong relationship with Alumni. Past students are keen to stay connected to the College. Having experienced both sides of the College as a student and now as an employee, if I had to describe Emmanuel in only one word I would say, ‘Professional.’
