Today marks the official opening of the Variety Learning Centre at NRL Cowboys House. Variety – the Children’s Charity funded the fit out of the Variety Learning Centre within the new NRL Cowboys House Girls Campus so that young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women can access tutoring and learning support outside of the classroom.

NRL Cowboys House provides supported accommodation for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students from some of North Queensland’s most remote and educationally disadvantaged communities, enabling them to access quality secondary education opportunities in Townsville. The Boys Campus officially opened in 2017 and is home to 50 young Indigenous men, while the Girls Campus opened its doors to 30 young Indigenous women in January this year.

Variety – the Children’s Charity believes all kids deserve a fair go. In partnership with NRL Cowboys House, Variety aims to give more Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander kids the opportunity to reach their full potential through the Variety Learning Centre. Variety also funded the essential items the girls needed to be set up for a successful start to the new school year, including uniforms, shoes and books.
Steve Wakerley, Variety Queensland CEO said, “Nothing is a more powerful tool than education. We are very proud to be partnered with NRL Cowboys House and to support the learning environment available for these students, to help give them every opportunity to reach their full potential.”

Steve continued, “It was also challenging for the 30 girls coming into Townsville from some very remote communities to have all the basic resources needed to begin the new school year, so we rallied support to take that stress away from their families and ensure it was a worry-free transition for them all.”

Some of Variety’s colourful supporters were on hand to celebrate today, with local Variety Bash car 1626 at the House with their themed Dr Seuss vehicle. Father and daughter duo, Trevor and Samantha McGair, make up part of this family Variety Bash team. They are dedicated local fundraisers and supporters of Variety, with Samantha even painting some beautiful artwork in the Variety Learning Centre.

Check out some of the photos from our mate the Cowboys here.