This year’s graduates at The Shepherd Centre have finished marking the upcoming milestone of moving off to school next year, with ceremonies concluding over the last week. The celebrations are a testament to the hard work of families as well as everything The Shepherd Centre can help children with hearing loss achieve.
Centres in Newtown, Macquarie, Liverpool and Minto, Wollongong and Canberra held ceremonies recognising these achievements, virtually welcoming their local families along with those receiving services remotely from rural NSW and Tasmania. It is hoped that in the near future, these special events might take place in person again and with a dedicated centre in Macarthur joining the line-up.
Many parents shared powerful stories about learning of their child’s hearing loss and the role of The Shepherd Centre in shaping their lives thereafter. This was sometimes accompanied by the sounds of children excitedly unpacking their graduation gifts, pleasantly unaware of the significance of the moment to their parents who hadn’t begun the development journey knowing that this stage would be reached.
Despite some unique challenges brought on by 2020, a record number of 62 children graduated across all of this year’s ceremonies. This is an outstanding figure representing not only the remarkable growth of The Shepherd Centre, but also the resilience and perseverance of families who have been attending its centres for several years.
While the final year has been the most technically challenging, with families transitioning to telehealth, these qualities have shone through to ensure that children will be fully prepared heading into kindergarten.
Read more about our recent graduations here.
