Students take the pledge

Among them were ACC’s Anthony Evans and Echuca College’s Emily Law, who were the masters of ceremony.

Wollithica Elder Uncle Rick Ronnan performed a Welcome to Country, also recognising his grandson Rick Day Ronnan, a Beacon leader and his name sharer.

Mega marathoner Ben Welch served as the event’s keynote speaker, reflecting on his mammoth 380km 444 run in March and his career journey.

“If you surround yourself with positive and like-minded people, you will always achieve a lot more,” he said.

“All of us always have more left in the tank; you just have to find the way into your reserves, which for me was my friends, family, and my crew.

“All of these things work the same for me in my actual, real job as a builder.”

Mr Welch spoke about his progression from leaving school at the end of year 10 to begin his carpentry apprenticeship, also working weekends at the pub to save up.

He appreciated exposure to different fields in his youth, encouraging students to test the career waters.

“Your first job might just be a stepping stone or a bit of a learning curve that takes you onto a new path of passion,” Mr Welch said.

“I’m really glad, personally, that I have the lived experiences of working at the pub and the pharmacy so that I knew long term that that was not for me.

“It’s always important to just say yes, try out new things, especially things that take you outside your comfort zone.

“That is where you actually learn the most.”

Former St Joseph’s College student Rebecca Huisman, Echuca College student Fletcher Harris, Moama Anglican Grammar student Kate Mulcahy and Echuca Twin Rivers Specialist School student Zach Phyland were guest panellists.

Beacon leaders Sophie McKee and Daniel Adriaans facilitated the discussion, with each speaker sharing their career progression and what words of wisdom got them there.

“The best piece of advice I've gotten is just to do what you love, even if you have to find different pathways to get there, that's the most important,” Kate Mulcahy said.

“It's pretty common that you might start something, and you don't enjoy it, but if you are committed to it, set your goals and then keep working towards that goal of finding out what you want to do and just don't stop until you find it,” Fletcher Harris said.

“My greatest moment so far is right now, being here today as a guest speaker for the 2025 Beacon pathways pledge because one of my skills is happening now, which is public speaking,” Zach Phyland said.

“You don't need to have it figured out right away, you just need to be willing to work hard and be persistent ... just keep trying until you find something that you love doing,” Rebecca Huisman said.

The 2025 Beacon leaders, along with school staff, sponsors and guests, signed the pledge board on behalf of their peers.

The pledge is a commitment to explore career paths, and further education, training and employment after graduation.