News

Notre Dame students champion inclusion

By Brynne Timewell

Sep 19, 2026

Mackillop and McGann sister houses of Notre Dame team up with the Greater Shepparton Basketball Association All Abilities program. Photo by Rechelle Zammit

Sometimes it takes 600 students and two sister houses falling completely silent to know a message has landed.

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That’s what happened at Notre Dame College this term, when Mackillop and McGann house students sat listening to guest speakers share what it was like to live with a disability.

And four house leaders watched months of hard work come to life.

The ‘Different Together’ campaign was driven by MacKillop house leaders Holly Ralph and Lucy Bickneu and McGann house leaders Tahlie Black and Anastasia Bramich.

Each year, the sister houses across the college partner on an awareness initiative, submitted and led by the house leaders themselves.

In recent years, campaigns have highlighted youth homelessness and fundraising for children at Goulburn Valley Health.

This year’s focus was something the school had never done before, and it drew in and resonated with the entire student body of both houses.

The campaign took months of planning and in Term 2 the leaders hosted an all-abilities event featuring hands-on activities, including wheelchair basketball, blindfolds and upside-down goggles.

David Harcoan, who is paralysed from the waist down, supplied the wheelchairs and returned as the guest speaker in Term 3 to share his story.

“You never know what someone is going through,” the leaders said.

That was the message that shaped the whole campaign.

“It was good to see everyone show empathy towards disabilities, because it’s not just seen disabilities,” Holly said.

“People suffer from hearing loss, dyslexia, ADHD, they’re still disabilities and it was good to be able to promote that.”

The leaders also interview students within the school community living with such impairments, who spoke about how their daily lives had changed and how they navigated day-to-day life.

When Mr Harcoan gave his speak, Notre Dame staff said, “the engagement across the two houses was phenomenal, you could almost hear a pin drop”.

For Anastasia, it was that day that stood out.

“It was amazing to see kids understanding that different people have a chance to explain their story and give insight for others who might go though the same issues,” she said.

The four leaders managed to raise $600 from a funky sock day, where students wore odd socks and brought a gold coin donation.

That money has brought drink bottles, which were presented to the Greater Shepparton Basketball Association’s all-abilities teams on Thursday, September 17.

But the students’ biggest takeaway?

Don’t ask someone if the need help, ask them if they want it.