Today, Minister for Education Yvette Berry announced Canberra’s newest public school will be called Agnes Shea High School.
Located in Taylor, Agnes Shea High School will open in 2025 and cater for up to 800 year 7 to 10 students.
Representatives from the United Ngunnawal Elders Council, including Aunty Agnes’ granddaughter Selina Walker, joined Minister Berry at the school construction site this morning to mark the occasion.
Among her many achievements and contributions to Canberra and its various communities, Aunty Agnes Shea was a founding member of the United Ngunnawal Elders Council, a member of the advisory board to ACT Health, helped establish the Ngunnawal Bush Healing Farm and was a member of the ACT Heritage Council.
Aunty Agnes Shea’s achievements and dedication were rightly recognised many times throughout her life, including as a recipient of the Centenary Medal in 2001, receiving a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2004, receiving an ACT Senior Citizen of the Year award and a place on the ACT Honour Walk in 2010.
“Throughout her life Aunty Agnes worked to improve outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Canberra while also improving non-Indigenous Australians’ understanding of Aboriginal culture,” Minister for Education and Youth Affairs Yvette Berry said.
Alongside unveiling the name of the school, Minister Berry also announced that the inaugural principal of Agnes Shea High School will be Daniel Mowbray.
Daniel has been the Principal of the University of Canberra High School Kaleen for the past eight years. Daniel is driven by strong values and wants to ensure that every Canberra student has equal access to high-quality education.
“I congratulate Daniel on his appointment to lead Canberra’s newest public school, I know he’ll do a fantastic job,” Minister Berry said.
Work will now begin on designing the Agnes Shea High School logo and uniform. This work will be done in consultation with Principal Daniel Mowbray, the architects, and Aunty Agnes’ granddaughter Selina Walker. Once initial designs are drafted, the wider community will have the chance to have their say on the logo and uniform design options through Your Say.
“The ACT Government has a bold vision for public education in Canberra. With new schools opening across the ACT, alongside countless school modernisations and expansions, we’re committed to every public school being a great school,” Minister Berry said.
“Aunty Agnes Shea was a great Canberran, a proud Aboriginal woman and a senior Ngunnawal Elder who dedicated her life to bettering the world for future generations. I hope the naming of this school after Aunty Agnes Shea will inspire countless young Canberrans for generations to come to learn about her life and story.”
Enrolment information:
The Priority Enrolment Area (PEA) for Agnes Shea High School is the same as for Margaret Hendry School. From 2025, residents of the following suburbs will be in Agnes Shea High School’s PEA:
o Taylor (all)
o Moncrieff (all)
o Jacka (North of Appleford Ave)
2025 enrolments are now open at education.act.gov.au.
