On Saturday, 22 October 2022, the Australian South Sea Islander United Council (ASSIUC) –Independent Rockhampton and Districts Inc. hosted the 8th ASSI Year 12 Graduation Ceremony.  Students from North Rockhampton High School, Glenmore State High School, Emmaus College, St Brendan’s College and St Ursula’s College were represented, with nineteen students of ASSI descent graduating from Year 12.  Each graduate was asked to announce their family links and if known, their island connections prior to them being presented with a certificate and sash by our President, Kerry Warkill and Vice President, Christine Evans or the students grandparent/s if they were in attendance. 

The ASSI Year 12 Graduation Ceremony has been an important event on our organisation’s calendar each year and where our ASSI Year 12 graduating students look forward to attending.  It is not lost on our organisation the importance of education for our young people and for them to take up opportunities afforded to them, which was not available to their grandparents and great grandparents. 

2022 also saw Northern Rockhampton State High School host an inaugural ceremony acknowledging our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, but also our students of Australian South Sea Islander descent.  This ceremony was driven by the Community Engagement Counsellors at North Rockhampton State High School Jodie Martin and Cassandra Von Seden and with the support of the School Principal, Kurt Goodwin. Guest speaker at this ceremony was Stephen Upkett a Year 12 graduate in 2017.  

We also saw Ezekiel Willie a ASSI Year 12 graduate from Kirwan State High School, Townsville, who has links to Kanaka Town, Rockhampton also wear an ASSI sash to represent his ASSI heritage. 

We have been greatly supported over the past eight years by Rockhampton Trophy Centre & Engraving who have made our graduation sashes and in recent years we have worked with Big Colour Works in East Street, to design and print our ceremony invitations and certificates.  

With the changes to the National Curriculum in recent years and students finishing earlier than the second week of November, we have decided to change the event date for the 2023 Year 12 ASSI Ceremony to Saturday, 16 September 2022.  We have started gathering our list of ASSI Year 12 graduates for 2023, but please send through an email to assiucrockhampton@gmail.com or send a message via our ASSIUC Inc. Facebook page to advise if your child is graduating this year.  Our 2023 Year 12 Graduation ceremony will also include students who are graduating from high schools in Gladstone.  Our 2022 Graduates have started on new endeavours, and we wish them well. All the best to our current 2023 ASSI students for their final year of their secondary education.