Meet the Australia Day Award Winners

Montville Citizen of the Year 2023 Adam Montgomery

Adam Montgomery is the Principal of Montville State School and on National Principal Day the school community paid tribute to Adam recognising his achievements in his time at Montville in the last four years and telling a little of his work history. here’s what they had to say.

Adam started at Montville in 2018. He came with a wealth of experience of both small towns and leadership roles.  He started teaching in Bamaga in 1999 then moved to Coconut Island in the Torres Strait as Principal. He has since worked as Deputy at Buddina SS, and Principal at Hamilton Island, Kenilworth, Amamoor and Montville.

Small schools can be challenging (and awesome!) Adam has put in long hours to cement relationships with the community and it has paid dividends in spades with Montville residents and organisations happy to contribute to the school in a variety of much appreciated ways.

On the school front, Adam has worked to make sure the reputation and environment of Montville State School is safe, supportive, facilitates learning and is fun!  His experience has provided him with a strong knowledge of how students learn and how curriculum can be adapted to be implemented effectively in a multiage setting.  This has contributed to supportive learning environments and very positive relationships with students.

Adam (and his team) have happily introduced a number of suggested activities for the kids which are offered during school, at breaks and after school. What kids wouldn’t love rock band, bike club, ukelele, piano and tennis lessons and digi tech!

We love our school! We know a huge part of it being so great is having a kind genuine leader that is accessible, prepared to listen, make change and laugh. Adam wants kids to love learning and to do their best.

Mr Montgomery LOVES hockey, basketball and the beach.  With kids in high school and his wife a regarded teacher on the coast, we hope they have settled in for a long time yet.

Montville State School

Shiralee Cooper Montville Lifetme Citizen Award 2023

Shiralee Cooper is the long term president of the Montville Chamber of Commerce. A full history of her long time commitment to Montville will be published later this month.

Joel Fergie was the guest speaker at the 2023 Montville Australia Day. He started his artistic life as a graffiti artist but didn’t take long to move on from that. He considers his work to be street art. The silos are painted using exterior house paint. He paints these with a couple of other artist friends. He showed us some pics taken of him painting on a silo and he’s a dot on the concrete face. Hard to believe he can put the kind of detail in when he’s so close.

He likes to get to know the community he’s painting in and is guided by the community members so he can really incorporate many aspects of what are important to them.

Joel Fergie, Guest Speaker at the Montville Australia Day 2023

Adam Montgomery Montville Citizen of the Year 2023 with School Captains Jenna and Oliver

Mapleton Choir Australia Day 2023

The Mapleton Choir sang the national anthem- first stanza in First Nation language and the second in English. They chose a John Rutter song and Peter Allen’s I Still Call Australia Home. As always they lifted spirits and offered a fresh take on the songs they thoughtfully selected for this Australia Day.

The Simpson Band, sadly playing without Michael Simpson, Australia Day 2023