Year 12 St Ives High School student and childhood leukemia survivor, Rhys Hibbert, is passionate about sun safety and wants awareness of damage from the sun to be more prominent in high schools.
Rhys served on The Minister’s Student Council (DOVES) in 2023 and 2024, a prestigious leadership opportunity where selected students from across the state provide feedback and advice to the Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Early Learning, Prue Car, NSW Department of Education Secretary Murat Dizdar and school decision-makers.
During his term, the Year 12 student expressed his concern to the Deputy Premier around being the only high school student in his school to wear a bucket hat and the lax attitude of some of his peers about sun safety.
As a result of his student voice, this year’s DOVES took part in Sun Safe Student Ambassador Training at the Melanoma Institute in St Leonards on Wednesday 12 March 2025.
The hands-on day is in collaboration with the Cancer Council and will include workshops on increasing sun safety within the school environment, student presentation skills and how young people can protect themselves from the sun. The students will then pass on this training and spread awareness within their schools, with the intention of sun safety becoming a statewide focus.
“Most young people are not aware that the Australian sun consistently has a very high UV rating, which is one reason why Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world,” Rhys said.
“Increasing sun safety awareness is important to me as it’s a no brainer – a few simple changes to your outdoor habits can potentially save your life in the future.”
The Minister’s Student Council represents a diverse range of communities across NSW with 27 student advocates from each of the nine public school educational directorates in NSW including Connected Communities.
Three students from each directorate are elected to the council and advocate for positive student engagement through educational improvement and innovation in NSW public schools.
On Thursday 13 March, 17 new DOVES from as far as the Riverina, Batemans Bay and the Mid-North Coast participated in a swearing in ceremony with the Deputy Premier at NSW Parliament House, Sydney.
The council meets twice a term to openly discuss issues to be raised with the Minister and further contribute to positive change and outcomes. In 2025, the DOVES will continue to look at student mental health, inclusion and wellbeing, and health, including vaping and sun safety.
These ambitious student advocates are supported by coaches and mentors including the council Secretariat Katrina Stuve.
“We have used our online forums to collect data from students on these topical issues, enabling the council to present their findings and recommendations to then be compiled into a brief and presented to the Deputy Premier with recommendations for 2025,” Ms Stuve said.
“We want to be really focused and achieve strong outcomes within these important areas.”
Meet the 2025 DOVES
New students:
- Alasdair Wray – Year 8 – Kooringal High School
- Arya Stenbeck – Year 7 – Gosford High School
- Ava Gough – Year 8 – Bombala High School
- Ayla Junor – Year 8 – Narooma High School
- Ayomikun Okeowo – Year 9 – Melonba High School
- Cameron Donaldson – Year 9 – Bomaderry High School
- Danielle Dodds – Year 9 – Camden Haven High School
- Hetvi Halai – Year 9 – Richmond Agricultural Centre of Excellence
- Imogen Armstrong – Year 7 – Emmaville Central School
- Indiana Cook – Year 9 – Camden Haven High School
- Khloe Vale – Year 9 – Kempsey High School (Connected Communities)
- Lejla Sinanovic – Year 7 – Sefton High School
- Mahika Rahman – Year 9 – Elizabeth Macarthur High School
- Serena Ho – Year 9 – Sydney Girls High School
- Vienna Buchanan – Year 7 – Balranald Central School
- Victoria Long – Year 9 – Pennant Hills Girls High School
- William Kennedy – Year 9 – Brisbane Waters Secondary College
Continuing students:
- Angel King – Year 7 – Smith’s Hill High School
- Dion Beilby – Year 8 – Melville High School (Connected Communities)
- Emiliah Smith – Year 7 – James Meehan High School
- Hadiya Fatima – Year 11 – Macarthur Girls High School
- Lana Beganovic – Year 11 – Cheltenham Girls High School
- Luke Rees – Year 11 – Armidale Secondary College
- Myra Sibanda – Year 11 – Dorrigo High School
- Ruby Stafford – Year 11 – Kyogle High School
- Sama Roy – Year 11 – Fairvale High School
- Zarif Rahman – Year 11 – Hurlstone Agricultural High School
