The Ignatian - December 2016 Vol 26 December 2017 Vol 28 | Page 13

Bursary Story
Acts of Kindness
I was raised by my Aunty and Uncle, who
came to look after me from the age of nine,
when my mum and dad weren’t able to. This
was, perhaps, the first big act of kindness
shown towards me, even though I didn’t
realise it at the time. At such a young age, I
never really thought twice about it, but as I
got older I slowly put the pieces together and
realised that my family situation was ‘different’.
In terms of men and
women for others,
I have been the
‘other’ and people
were always helping
me, so now I want to
strive to be the one
who helps others.
When I was younger, at times I had to escape
my home environment and I would invite
myself over to my friends’ places for the
afternoon or for the night. These families never
once snooped on my situation, but welcomed
me into their homes and always had a smile.
My friends didn’t look at me differently, and
this was an early realisation that they were
magical, in the sense that their actions could
take me away from tough situations and make
them good ones.
This is much the same today. At the boarding
house, the boys who know my family situation
don’t treat me differently. To them, I’m just
Andy. As small as this is, it makes a huge
difference to me. Another example is on
Mothers’ Day; a number of people came up
to me that day and said “Hey mate, I was
thinking of you today.” They recognised that
this day would be a bit different for me, and
it’s nice to know they thought about me.
And this made me think, am I showing this
same type of thoughtfulness to other people
too? At times, I think we all struggle with
ask ing people how they are really going; me
personally, I have failed at this many times.
But as I have seen the wonders of thoughtful
gestures from my friends, this has encouraged
me to lift others up as they have lifted me.
There have been many times where I have
struggled or been upset about my past,
wishing that things were different or things
could change. However, it has been through
conversations with some of my closest friends
that I have been able to gain some greater
perspective in the sense of being grateful for
my experiences.
Now that I’ve just finished at Riverview, I’d be
lying if I said I wasn’t worried about what my
future holds, as this school, and especially the
people in it, have become like my family. But
then I think about all the acts of kindness and
friendships I’ve experienced here – I’ll always
be connected to these people.
In terms of men and women for others, I
have been the “other” and people were always
helping me, so now I want to strive to be
the one who helps others. We have a great
opportunity as a school community to see
each other every day and we all have the
chance to take action and make a difference
in our friends’ lives, whether that be through a
smile, fist bump, hug or even just listening.
Although I have experienced hardship, as
every one of us does in life, with our friends
and families we can get through it. We are
not alone. There are many tough and different
situations our friends are in, mine is just one
of the many. However, it is my hope that you
know there are countless ways to be there for
your mates that will make a massive difference
for them. All we can do is be there with and for
each other. With a small gesture, you can really
change someone’s life.
I would like to thank all my friends over
the years who have always been a positive
influence on me; I am very grateful for all you
have done even though you may not have
realised.
And I thank each one of you, the generous
donors to the Bursary Program. Although I
don’t know you individually, hopefully you now
know something about me, one of the many
you’ve helped with your generosity and belief
in this school. Without you, 90 of my brothers
here at Riverview would never have had this
wonderful experience of an education here.
A N DY D U P O N T (O R 2 0 1 7 )
WINNER OF THE 2017
I N S I G N IS M E DA L
B U R SA RY S T O RY | I G N ATI A N | 1 3