"What is success? I think it's very difficult to pin down because someone can be successful in terms of their school grades in Maths or English, or successful in sport, or emotionally intelligent and have prospering relationships, someone can be successful in business or in art or simply be happy and achieve success in this way – there are so many ways to be successful… What I'm trying to say is that success comes in so many forms. All of you in front of me have the potential to find something that interests you, that makes you passionate unlike anything else, that drives you to be amazing, to do amazing things that can impact you and those around you.

Something very important to remember is that your life, is, well, your life. You get to choose what's important to you, you get to choose what you want to do in life… I won't lie, ATAR, even though it is just a number, was incredibly important to me and I worked so hard to achieve my goals. But school grades don't have to be important to you, your artistic pursuits may be important to you, or supporting your friends may be your primary focus, or pursuing greatness in music or languages or sport or triathlons or whatever. It is in your hands what you want to do with your life, you get to choose what is important to you. Seek out what brings out the best in you, what makes you passionate, what makes you amazing, and put in the work to achieve your goals. 

In saying all this, there's something that must not be neglected, and that is taking care of yourself. There is no time to waste when it comes to taking care of yourself." 

Stuart Copeland, School Captain 2001, gave a speech many found quite amusing. In his remarks, among other things, Stu reminded us of the great fortune we had being part of such a special leaving group. Stu's words were echoed by the general spirit of the evening, with the laughter and chatter from the function room ringing around the entire pub.  

It was amazing to see the number of guys that took time out of their busy schedules to come down, share a story or two and enjoy a drink with old friends. However, there were many notable faces missing. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 situation, many interstate and international 2001 Old Boys missed out, but their absences were understandable given travel restrictions.  

All-in-all, it was a great night, a night worthy of the hangovers felt by many the next day.  The Class of 2001 would like to acknowledge the hospitality of Lawson Douglas (00') and Dave Allen (00'), who, along with their attentive staff at the Subiaco Hotel, kept everyone well fed and suitably refreshed.

I would personally like to thank Stu Copeland and Alex Mossop for their efforts in pulling the evening together and the Alumni Office, in particular, Deborah Hill and Sarah Menezies for their hard work in ensuring that the afternoon/evening ran smoothly.  

Thanks as well to the Old Boys of 2001 – may the next reunion be as fun as the way there! 

Cameron Boys

Working alongside Former Australian Test Captain Kim Hughes, Shyam believes that sharing experiences helps to raise awareness of mental health issues and training equips clubs with mental health first aid skills. After completing a bachelor's degree in Sport Management and working in the field, Shyam returned to study to pursue a Post Graduate certificate in Mental Health and hopes to expand his career in this area. For further information please contact Shyam on 0488 144 895 or shyam.menasse@rw.org.au.

The new $75,000 beach access into North Thomson Bay was made possible with funding from the Rottnest Foundation. Forming part of the Wadjemup Bidi walk trail, the Rottnest Foundation was pleased to contribute funds towards the replacement stairs, which provides safe access to the beach and mitigates against erosion on the fragile cliff-face. 

Creating a LinkedIn account and connecting with anyone I could in Perth in the tech industry was one of the best things I've ever done career wise, said Nick. While pursuing Year 12, Nick was invited to do work experience at BlueSky Digital Labs and is now working for the company full time as Junior Software Developer. Interning at BlueSky was much less about learning the technical skills, but getting comfortable working in a professional setting and following professional development methodologies. Since that time, I have picked up skills and tips and tricks, but the challenge really has been transitioning from working on projects led, managed and developed by myself to working in a team with managers, clients, deadlines and other developers. Nick has deferred an offer to study at Curtin but has been encouraged by his boss to pursue formal qualifications.