St John's student's humanity recognised with Fred Hollows Award
Congratulations to Year 6 student, Daniel Justin, who has been recognised for his compassion, integrity and kindness with a national Fred Hollows Humanity Award.
Daniel was honoured at an award ceremony at NSW Parliament House in Sydney, after being nominated for his many good deeds in the school community and consistently treating others with kindness and respect.
Daniel is a regular recipient of our school’s weekly Good Samaritan Awards, which acknowledge and commend students for displaying the qualities of listening, justice and forgiveness in both their words and actions. His latest award was for the generous welcome and hospitality he showed to local nursing home residents during their recent visit to St John’s.
A very humble recipient, Daniel said he was overwhelmed by this recognition.
“I have never received anything as big as this award. I enjoyed the opportunity to attend the presentation ceremony at Parliament House and to have my parents and principal there to share it with me,” he said.
The Humanity Award is a national initiative of The Fred Hollows Foundation that acknowledges Year 6 students who follow in Fred Hollow’s footsteps by demonstrating humanitarian values towards others.
Principal Tina Murray said she was honoured to accompany the Justin family to Parliament House to watch Daniel receive his award.
“In our world, we certainly place a great deal of emphasis on recognising tangible achievements. Success can often be measured by material advancement. It is wonderful that the heart and character of an individual can be used as an alternative measure of success, and the ability to make a difference in a community is what these awards authentically celebrate” — Principal, Tina Murray
“At St John the Evangelist, we are certainly proud and grateful to Daniel for sharing these gifts of himself with our community during the last seven years.”
Daniel was one of 79 students from across the state who were presented with certificates by NSW Education Minister, Rob Stokes, and foundation director of The Fred Hollows Foundation, Gabi Hollows.
Mr Stokes said the awards given by The Fred Hollows Foundation recognise the wonderful acts of generosity and kindness made by young people.
“The true measure [of a person] is not what they acquire for themselves, but what they give,” Mr Stokes said. “We need more people like these students to make NSW and Australia a brighter place for everyone.”
Ms Hollows agreed, saying the awards highlighted inspirational students making a positive difference in their communities.
“Fred would have been incredibly proud of the contribution these students are making to society and of the foundation for recognising and encouraging them to help others, no matter how big or small their actions,” she said. “To all of this year’s award recipients, I offer my warmest congratulations and my heartfelt thanks.”
As for Daniel, he’s not yet sure what career path he wants to pursue in the future, but he knows one thing: “I’m certain it will be something that involves helping others.”
The Fred Hollows Humanity Award will return to New South Wales in 2019. To learn more about the award, visit www.hollows.org/humanityaward