District student trainee named a finalist in the 2026 NSW Training Awards.
 

Matilda Thearle – a participant in a school-based Aboriginal traineeship at Sydney Local Health District – has been named as a finalist in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year category at the 2026 NSW Training Awards.

Matilda is studying for a Certificate III in Allied Health Assistance at Sydney Education and is completing a placement at Balmain Hospital and at Forest Lodge Child and Family Health Centre.

It forms part of a two-year traineeship offered by the District that provides Aboriginal students in Years 11 and 12 with paid employment, formal training and exposure to careers in health while completing school.

Matilda, 17, is a year 12 student at St Aloysius College at Cronulla in Sydney’s south and recalls when she discovered she was an award finalist.

“I was so surprised, I called my mum straight away,” she said.

“I didn’t expect to get an interview let alone be a finalist. I feel grateful that I could get this far. I’m excited to be able to represent my mob as well as a finalist in the Indigenous category.”

Proud of her Aboriginal heritage – she’s from the Badjiri mob in Cunnamulla in outback Queensland – and a keen surfer and soccer player, Matilda has successfully juggled her schoolwork, a part-time job, social life and the traineeship.

“It was overwhelming at the start. I’ve gone through stressful times worrying about school, my course work, my after-school job and having to handle it all,” she said.

“But I got into the groove of planning out my week, making sure I still had time for studying, making sure I still had time to relax, but still getting everything done.

“It was hard and it was challenging but it just feels so good that I’ve nearly completed the course.”

She’s being mentored by Allied Health clinicians at Balmain Hospital and Forest Lodge Child and Family Health Centre, where she’s learning to assist with allied health programs in areas such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech pathology and dietetics.

Her main interest is occupational therapy (OT).

“It’s the field in the Allied Health profession that I love doing. It’s just so rewarding to be able to help patients get back to doing daily activities and to see them gain confidence,” she said.

“All the OTs at Forest Lodge and Balmain are so lovely and have welcomed me so much. My plan is to continue doing Allied Health Assistance as a job when I finish school.”

Sydney Education’s Allied Health Workforce Development Consultant Linda Hoare said being an award finalist was well-deserved recognition for Matilda.

“We have been really impressed by her proactive approach to learning and her genuine passion for helping others,” Linda said.

“She brings a fresh energy and a positive growth mindset, which has really helped her develop sound clinical skills and meaningful relationships with her clients and their families.”

The District’s Director of Allied Health Sarah Whitney also congratulated Matilda on her achievement.

“She is making an outstanding contribution to our Allied Health teams, and we are immensely proud of her. I hope she continues with her studies because she is a wonderful future Allied Health professional.”

The District’s Aboriginal Workforce Manager Dean Ahearne also reflected on Matilda’s success.

“I’m incredibly proud of Matilda, who was our very first Allied Health school-based Aboriginal trainee,” he said.

“This is a remarkable achievement and a testament to her dedication, talent and the bright future ahead of her.”

Matilda is an award finalist for the Central and Northern Sydney region. The award winners will be announced at a special ceremony at The Independent Theatre in North Sydney on Thursday 4 June 2026.