Warmest congratulations to Tom Hamer (OR2021), who recently was chosen to be Guest of Honour at the Class of 2025 Valete graduation assembly on Thursday 25th September. Tom — recipient of the Riverview College Insignis Medal in 2021 and former Captain of Day Boys — is currently working at the National Australia Bank. 

Since leaving Riverview College he has undertaken a Cardoner immersion in Nepal working with a local Nepalese community, with the experience underpinned by faith and justice. Tom has also completed a Bachelor of Agribusiness at the University of Queensland. There he introduced an initiative, which he started as a student at Riverview College, called 'Mates Supporting Mates'. Both these experiences of service loomed large in Tom's address to the College assembly, held in the Ramsay Hall. 

"When I first received the phone call asking to be the guest speaker for this year's Valete Assembly, it was something I never expected. Even though I only graduated in 2021, my life has changed so much since leaving Riverview and coming back to speak at the school was beyond an honour." said Tom to OIU News. 

"It was such as an incredible day, it was euphoric. Reuniting with many old teachers and catching up with some of the boys was very special. It made me feel so lucky to be part of the community, and it made me realise it doesn't just end at the gates or at graduation, but it is something that as old boys, if we choose to, is always at our disposal." said Tom. Below is a transcript of Tom's speech and you can also watch his inspiring address by https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=HZ0dFIA1URc (it starts at the 44min 30sec mark). Congratulations Tom! The OIU is proud of you. 

2025 Valete Address by Tom Hamer (OR2021) 

Good morning, Fr Tom, Mr Tannock, Special Guests, Parents, Teachers, and boys. I know what you're probably thinking – what's this young fella doing up here? He's no lawyer, or ex-politician, or esteemed businessman. And great question, it was only four years ago I was sitting where you are, tired, stressed, and excited about what the future may hold. It is incredible how much life has changed since. And that will soon happen to all of you. You will all go off and do lots of different amazing things - but no matter how far away you may spread; the different countries, communities, jobs and experiences, there is something that will always connect you. The gift of a Jesuit education. 

I went from an amazing post-high school summer in Sydney, to moving to a small rural town in Qld called Gatton. Gatton is UQ's Ag and Vet science campus, made up of 75% girls, and I promise that's not why I went. Moving to such a different environment really put my life into perspective. Suddenly, I went from being well connected in a big community, to living 1000kms away in a place where no one new me and no one cared about what school I went to or any of my past achievements. It was very humbling. 

In many ways, your first chapter after school is like starting again. Except unlike school, you have the opportunity of choosing how you want to live. Which is something to be very excited about. It really becomes a choose-your-own-adventure. However, it's important to note, experiencing a chapter of feeling lost is very common – whether you're unsure about uni, or if you are in the right degree or questioning what you want to do with your life. This is very normal. In the last few years there have been many times where I have felt lost and asked myself these same questions. And in those moments, I'd suggest doing what we learn at Riverview every single day - enact some self-reflection. Pull out the old journal and remind yourself of your value, your untapped potential, and how far you've come already. You don't have to have it all figured out - and the first years after school are exactly for that, working out who you are and what you want with your life. 

It can be easy to compare yourself to mates who may seem to have it all sorted. My Dad wisely once told me, "In the exam of life, you can't turn to your mate and ask for the answers, because we all have a different paper." So don't feel pressured to follow the stereotypical path, like jumping straight into Commerce Advanced Studies at Sydney Uni. If this excites you, great, do it. But if you're unsure about uni, or your interests, take a gap year. Travel, work, do some service and spend time figuring out who you are and what you love. It is better to go to uni later doing something you enjoy, than dropping out halfway through a degree you were never interested in. The same goes for trades, diplomas, Tafe or going straight into work. As long as you are seeking a path that gives you purpose – that's the important thing. 

In 2023, I had a bit of a tough year. I broke up with my first long term girlfriend, I was struggling with home sickness, struggling with uni, and questioning if I was in the right degree and the right place. But then I saw an opportunity to volunteer in Nepal with The Cardoner Network at the end of the year. I was also working on a chicken farm at the time, where I had the gruesome job of manually euthanising sick chickens. It wasn't glamorous, but I had a purpose in mind. I just saved up enough money to go on that service trip. I could have easily used my savings towards what everyone else does; go to Euro Summer or spend it on a ute or something else. But I knew those experiences would only give me pleasure. Whereas I was seeking meaningful joy, purpose, and an opportunity to look at my life from a different lens. 

We hiked for five days from Kathmandu to a small village called Tipling, near the Tibetan border. We reached 4000 metre peaks and endured -15-degree nights sleeping on thin yoga mats. Teaching little kids English and Maths was pure joy, and sharing our education was deeply rewarding. But the most humbling thing was watching the 55-year-old women, barely weighing 60 kgs, carrying their own weight in gear for 10 hours a day through the mountains. After Nepal, I become a poor uni student again – but that's probably from spending too much time at the pub. However, I became rich in experience, rich in self-esteem and rich in friendship of the amazing people I shared it with. That kind of rich I can't spend or lose and will stay with me throughout my whole life. 

Service doesn't just have to involve going overseas to visit third world countries, even though there is significant need in those areas. Service can also be conducted in your immediate communities. During my final years at Riverview, I noticed many peers struggling with mental health, so I decided to do something about it and created a Men's Mental Health group called Mates Supporting Mates. We regularly met over pizza in the rose garden, not to sit in a circle and bare our souls, but to make mental health part of everyday conversation. Simply turning up and chatting about nothing like every lunch time, indirectly influenced culture. And it began many private conversations, where boys were genuinely checking up on each other. 

When I moved to Gatton in '22, I identified the same need. In my first year the group had mixed success, and I nearly quit after putting in so much effort for little attendance. But at the start of '23, while planning O Week, a mate from Hervey Bay asked if I was going to run it that year. I said I wasn't too sure. He then told me his dad had passed away two weeks earlier, and that he thinks it's an important cause and I should keep trying. Hearing that from a bloke who had never believed in depression or mental illness, was something I never would have expected, and inspired me to keep going. 

So, I decided to innovate. I thought, what do all boys love? 

The answer – beers and steaks. It became a steak night with an improved venue. I built a team around me to help delegate tasks, speak about it in college meetings and encourage more boys to go. I teamed up with Red Frogs and introduced guest speakers. The group grew from a regular of five or six, to 30,40 and sometimes 50. I also set up a succession plan, and this year with me no longer there, it's been even more successful than the last, which has been incredibly rewarding. 

When I reflect back on all my adventures since leaving school there is one key lesson from Riverview that has guided me above all else. So, if you remember anything from today, remember this: "the most important thing in life are the relationships you have with yourselves and with others." It was the beloved late Tom Reimer on our Kairos #65 retreat who dropped this piece of wisdom on me. In my travels through Gatton, Nepal, uni holidays spent farming in Crookwell, moving back to Sydney and now moving again to Canberra, the locations never really mattered. The people I chose to surround myself with is what mattered. Now sitting in front of me today are the future CEOs, politicians, writers, healthcare professionals, artists, powerful businessmen of the world, and much more. You boys are the change makers of our generation. St Ignatius' desire wasn't to form men who will sit idly by while the problems of the world persist, but to form men who will disturb it and who will improve it, one small step at a time. I believe it is almost our responsibility, as recipients of this education, to do as much as we can with our lives. And to improve the lives of others, as best we can. 

Finally, and don't worry I'm almost done, I want to address your final challenge that lays ahead. The only barrier between you and your freedom. The dreaded HSC. To be completely honest, the academic pressure that broader society places on you is ridiculous. What's funny is that across the board, everyone I've spoken to have found uni and full-time work so much better than high school. What I'm trying to say is, you've got a lot to look forward to. And boys, it's not about the number. It's about proving to yourself how hard you can work. How far you can push yourself. Realising you are capable of so much more than you think. Because that momentum will carry you throughout the rest of your lives. However, after this graduation ceremony, and when formal classes end it can be easy to lose momentum. But just know that in less than 43 days you're going to be getting the bronze on at your local beach, drink in hand, HSP in lap, and not a worry in the world. Not thinking about what subjects you have to do that night, or how little sleep you will be operating on tomorrow. But just enjoying yourselves. And basking full of endorphins in that post, school, high. Lads, congratulations, good luck and get excited about all the amazing adventures to come. Thank you.