“I love just always keeping myself busy. I don’t really like sitting around.”Banjo Seaniger
Year 11 student Banjo Seaniger wears a bright, cheery smile. His eyes light up when he talks about cricket and his middle name, Yarra.
He explains that he’s named after Yarramundi, a respected and influential leader of the Richmond tribes of the Dharagnora (Hawkesbury-Nepean region of New South Wales) and a respected elder of the Boorooberongal clan of the Dharug people.
“I’m proud of my culture and excited to have just started learning Dharug Dalang as part of the language revitalisation with my family.”
During one week late last year he juggled exams, balanced representative cricket in Mackay with being the emcee of the culturally significant 2024 Battle of Meewah Commemoration Service. Earlier in the year, he was delighted when two of his passions combined; he got to play in the National Indigenous Cricket Championships as part of the Queensland Indigenous Men’s team in Alice Springs.
“We get to travel around and play some high-level cricket with some very high-level players. Some of those people play professionally.”
“I got to bowl to people playing in the BBL like Brock Larance and Clinton Hinchcliffe. I had to open the bowling against them and I bowled well. I didn’t get them out, but I bowled none for seven off four overs, which was pretty good.”
One thing is clear: Banjo is the type of student who rarely idles for long before he knocks it up a gear.
While cricket is certainly keeping him busy for now, Banjo does have one eye on the future, as he’s already considering his options for tertiary education. He has won a place in the University of Queensland’s InspireU program, which brings Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander high school students from across the state for a week-long camp on the St Lucia campus in Brisbane.
“It’ll be great to talk to students and learn more about the Bachelor of Laws to see if it’s something I want to pursue. Meeting the teachers and making connections will be helpful, so if I decide to go there, I’ll already have some links.”
In the short term, the spin bowler has study and sport high on his agenda.
It has been his aim to gain a place in the School’s coveted First XI (Cricket) team and this year he is in. After a successful Neil Dansie Cricket Festival at the start of the year, which the TGS First XI won, it has been a steady start to the season for our team.
Their latest victory was over the weekend against ACGS and it's Banjo's great hope that they continue on that upward trend for the rest of the GPS season.
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