A family achievement

Annette Ormiston has gone from failing Year 12 English and being labelled a “non-favourable student”, to completing a university course at the age of 64 alongside her daughter.

The Brisbane mother of three crossed the graduation stage to receive her first university qualification, a Graduate Certificate in Liberal Arts from ACU. Her graduation ceremony marked the end of her studies with ACU’s Clemente program, a free university-level course in the humanities for people who have experienced barriers to their education goals.

A “home mum” who was also a carer for her mother, university was never on Annette’s radar. She had initially discovered Clemente for her eldest daughter, but when she declined, was encouraged to enrol herself.

“I truly promoted to my three children that education was so important for you to get better choices in life, that was one reason I took it on because I wanted to lead by example,” Annette said.

Annette, who was diagnosed later in life with ADHD, said her own high school experience had left her traumatised.

“My teacher in high school said I was a ‘cheeky, non-favourable student’ on my report. What do you do when you have negative things like that? You live up to it, don’t you,” she said.

“I failed English in Year 12 – I got a big F for fail – I left school, left home, and really didn’t do much in academia at all.

“At 60 I started at Clemente. The first teacher I had was an English literature teacher, and my first subject was English. I thought, ‘No, that was my worst nightmare’.”

Annette eventually passed the English unit, and three more units in the humanities, across six years of study.

Her determination eventually did inspire one of her children, youngest daughter Shannon, to enrol in Clemente shortly after moving to Melbourne in 2019.

“It was the subliminal messaging from mum, for eight years,” said Shannon, who completed Clemente in Melbourne. “I think I finally understood why she raved about it for so long.”

Despite having different timetables, and experiencing some setbacks to their university journey, including failed subjects and Annette being hospitalised due to “succumbing to my own mental health issues”, the mother-and-daughter duo were both approved to graduate from ACU in the same month.

“I’m so proud of Shannon that she took up the opportunity, took on the challenge, and she nailed it,” Annette said.

Overcoming mental health as a family

Many Clemente students are passionate advocates for mental health. The Ormiston mother and daughter are no exception.

“Our family has seen a lot of institutional abuse, and we’ve lived it,” Shannon said. “We’re still a bit raw.”

Annette’s mother was a Forgotten Australian, a survivor of the approximately 500,000 children in institutional or out-of-home care during the 20th Century.

ACU Chancellor Martin Daubney and Annette at graduation.

“She was in orphanage from six months old to 14 years, and her education was only to Grade 5,” Annette said.

Annette now continues to support her eldest daughter’s mental health journey, while also navigating her own ADHD diagnosis.

“Because my ADHD made me very distracted and distressed, the mentor for my last subject, Maree, colour-coordinated my visual maps in a big manilla folder. And she simplified the course content to make it easier for me to comprehend and absorb the information. Therefore, going above and beyond to help me,” she said.

For daughter Shannon, the “nurturing” experience in Clemente was starkly different to her high school years.

“I struggled with poor mental health and addiction due to lack of support in my life and society,” Shannon said.

“I’ve been a bit anti-establishment, and university for me is a big establishment, but Clemente just felt right. What the Clemente program really has going for it is the inclusion of people who are experiencing mental health struggles or are neurodivergent or can’t function in everyday society.

“In a Clemente class, everyone would just understand your needs. Mum’s learning style has been approached in way that made it possible to study after quite a long time being away from study.

“Clemente Fitzroy Advisor Sam Zifchak was also a big help. He has this really nurturing attitude and it made university feel nurturing somehow.”

Inspiring students on the margins since 2003

Established in Sydney in 2003, Clemente is in its 20th year at ACU, and is the longest running free outreach program offered at the university.  

Community-Engaged Outreach Manager at ACU, Jennifer Tredinnick, said Clemente had transformed the lives of more than 1,000 students.

“Working in partnership with community organisations and ACU, the Clemente Australia program is designed to empower adults within our communities with the skills, confidence, and knowledge they need to make positive choices and transform their lives,” Jennifer said. 

“The program is open those who have encountered barriers in their lives that have prevented them from realising their educational goals and aspirations. 

“Clemente has been truly transformative for over 1,000 students by improving their confidence, their understanding of the world around them, and giving them a sense of community within a university setting.” 

Clemente Australia works uniquely with community partners including St Vincent De Paul Society, the Sisters of Mercy, Micah Projects and Common Ground in Brisbane, and CatholicCare Victoria in Melbourne.

If you or someone you know is struggling with crisis or mental illness, contact Lifeline.

Learn more about Clemente Australia at ACU.