As NSW marks 175 years of public education, inspirational Kempsey teen is living the public school dream

As NSW marks 175 years of the public school system, inspirational Kempsey teen is Taylah Iverach is precisely the student public education aimed to create.

Taylah Iverach is an Indigenous Year 12 student and school captain at Melville High School, Kempsey. Picture: Supplied

Sitting in a poster-covered classroom in Kempsey student Taylah Iverach is precisely what public education aimed to create.

This week marks the 175th anniversary of NSW’s public education system, and the star student and school captain is set to kick off the celebration with an Acknowledgement of Country in the Dunghutti language, accompanied by her great-uncle and Elder Uncle Bob Smith.

The public education system would be hard placed to find a more fitting person.

The 18-year-old, “proud Aboriginal woman from the Dunghutti Nation of Kempsey”, who dreams of one day being a heart surgeon, is deeply proud of her public school education.

“Coming from a regional area. It’s a bit harder for me to achieve the goals I want to, but I try not to let that hold me back,” she said.

Taylah Iverach is precisely the student the public education aimed to create. Picture: Supplied

She will be awarded with the prestigious Zonta Achievement Award for a Young Indigenous Woman on Monday, designed to recognise and celebrate the achievements of young women of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander background, currently enrolled in Year 12 or the TAFE equivalent.

According to the selection committee, Taylah was selected for demonstrating outstanding leadership and service both within her school and the wider community, connecting deeply to her Indigenous heritage and language, and having a clear vision of her career goal of studying medicine.

Deputy school principal, Sally Jenkins, is deeply proud to have a student like Taylah at Melville High School, in the town that is the birth place of public education.

“We as a school are so proud of her and can’t wait to see what life after school brings for Taylah, because I’m sure it will be pretty incredible,” she said.

Taylah said “it’s pretty cool to like come from a place where public education was born.”

Taylah Iverach is an Indigenous Year 12 student and school captain at Melville High School, Kempsey. Picture: Supplied

The mid north coast town is the birthplace of NSW’s Public Education system, with the establishment of the Kempsey National School in 1848 by the Board of National Education.

Despite living in a small town, Taylah hasn’t let regional town life stifle her ambition. The vibrant teenager hopes to one day be a heart surgeon.

Based on her drive, diligence and stellar marks, that dream will likely be a reality.

“I’ve always wanted to be a doctor, ever since I was five … when my nan died almost two years ago, she had pretty severe heart attack. That’s kind of when I knew that I wanted to go into cardio to help other people and prevent that loss and grief from happening to other families,” she said.

She has a special connection to healthcare, having undergone more than 10 surgeries on her hand between the ages of 1 to 8, after she was born with no muscle in her thumb.

“I remember just being there seeing the way the doctors and the nurses and everyone worked and how they‘re helping all these kids.”