Lucky to be in the lucky country

Canberra – it’s affectionately known as the bush capital, and officially the seat of national government, but once a year the capital city of Australia is also a meeting place for emerging young leaders.

The National Leadership Forum brings together young people from Australia and the Pacific to spend time with Australian Federal Parliamentarians, including event co-chairs Julian Leeser MP and Luke Gosling OAM MP. Across four days, young people at the Forum explore and expand their understanding of leadership through the lens of values, compassion, and connection.

Over 3,500 delegates have attended the forum since it was established in 1997. Australian Catholic University Ramsay Scholarship recipient John Tabuteau is proud to add his name to the growing list.

The Bachelor of Arts (Western Civilisation)/Bachelor of Laws student, and one of the first Ramsay Scholars to join ACU’s Western Civilisation program, was nominated by ACU to attend the National Leadership Forum. With only a weeks’ notice, and a completely open mind, John packed his bags to make the three-hour drive to Canberra.

“It was somewhat overwhelming at first,” John said of the first day at the forum, which included being a fly on the wall in the senate at Question Time, and then meeting Federal Member for Bean David Smith to understand his journey into politics. 

“It made me realise how much effort our politicians have to go through every week but also how much sacrifice they have made to serve our country,” John said.

Before the first day was over, the young delegates were sitting in the ball room of Parliament House. Before them was former army chief and 2016 Australian of the Year, Lieutenant-General David Morrison.

“His speech impacted many people as he talked about how he navigated a very challenging time for the Australian Defence Force in response to the ADFA Skype scandal at the beginning of the 2010s,” John said. 

“He spoke most extensively of the importance of meeting with the people who have been affected and also having the humility to accept that one can be wrong. One quote that remains with me is, ‘we have to be custodians of our culture, not captives’.”

Another surprising experience for John was a planned visit to the Australian War Memorial. As well as learning why the War Memorial faces Parliament House – “so that our politicians never forget the sacrifice it took to protect our democracy but also in turn to remind our armed forces of what they fight for” – John also made an emotional discovery.

“I found some of my ancestors on the wall of remembrance which impacted me far more than I could have prepared myself for,” he said.

Private Francis McEncroe died in France November 1916, at 20 years old and his brother, Private Pierce Thomas McEncroe, also of the 28th Battalion AIF, had been killed in action in France some five months before, on 29 May 1916, age 22. 

“I had often heard stories about them from my mother growing up but never knew much about them,” John said.

Growing hope among youth

The forum isn’t just about formal talks and sit-down dinners and lunches. The young delegates are also invited to put their formation into practice by serving the community in the outer suburbs of Canberra.

“Again this was a major highlight for me. There was such a sense of pride as 150 young people descended throughout a suburb. Everywhere you looked people were pre-occupied with conversation, weeding, painting, ripping out roots, fixing walls. Hearing their stories and listening to what advice they had about leadership in their life really grounded my entire NLF experience,” John said.

Having spent four days with the same 150 young people, John said the opportunity to reflect on the experience in small groups was “without a doubt the most memorable moments of the entire forum”.

“Whilst it was hard to say goodbye to my close friends it has inspired me to desire to know so much more about people, about people's stories, people's struggle, and what they need,” John said. 

“The question that occupied my thoughts driving back to Sydney was: How can I take just a small part of what I experienced at the NLF and bring that to my community, to my family, my friends, and my university environment.

“I truly felt so lucky to be Australian and a greater urge to participate and contribute to growing that hope among young Australians.

“I am so grateful for everything in my life. I am very thankful for the people who made me question my own assumptions and the privileged life I have had. It has only inspired me to act more for others.”

Want to expand your leadership potential? Explore the options with ACU’s Western civilisation program.