Matthew Shaw

2017 Australia Day Award winner

Matthew Shaw was awarded the Australia Day Award for representing Darwin High School on many occasions, his active involvement in commemorative and community events demonstrated his outstanding leadership and commitment to community service and citizenship, a considerable achievement given the demands of the final year of study. Matthew also received the CSG Award for Outstanding Leadership in the Final Year of Study.

This year, Matthew will be attending the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra to study Politics, Philosophy and Economics. He plans on pursuing a career in domestic and foreign policy writing.

While Matthew credits his involvement in public speaking activities as the secret to his success in his final year of study, he acknowledges the act of balancing deadlines and extra curricular activities was the most challenging aspect of Year 12.

Undoubtedly, the most challenging aspect of Year 12 was managing all the academic and social elements (and sleep) in a manner that maintained my wellbeing and still kept my grades up. Everyone will endure Year 12 differently, and as I disappointingly learnt, there is no hard and fast rule to success. All I can offer is not to lose sight of the goal in mind, to ensure you exercise the support network around you, to take all the opportunities presented to you, and to have plenty of fun along the way. 

Matthew studied Chemistry, English Literary Studies, Mathematical Methods, Physics and Specialist Mathematics.

I've always struggled to determine my favourite subject because there's an unlimited degree of fascinating knowledge found in each and every one of them. Understanding the simplicity in the absolute truths of Specialist Mathematics was just as rewarding as analysing poems, novels, films and essays from a multitude of different, often obscure perspectives in English Literary Studies. It certainly helped that all of my subjects were taught in an engaging and enlightening way; a feat for which Darwin High's teachers are renowned.

Reflecting on his time at Darwin High School, Matthew said 

As a student, I like to think I spent a bit more time learning than I did achieving, but if I were to describe my most memorable achievement it would be my time at the Bond University Mooting Competition. Thanks to an opportunity afforded by Darwin High, myself and two other students were fortunate enough to face off against some of the country's most elite schools in a battle of legal wits on the Gold Coast. Against the odds, we managed to make it to the National Finals. The experience not only of presenting a legal argument to a panel of Judges at Bond University, but of poring over interminable previous cases to prepare and refine that argument was unforgettable, and one that I can only ascribe to Darwin High School and its staff.