Good morning staff, students and guests.

​

My name is Blake Reeves. I was a weekly boarder at Red Bend from Year 7 to 12, from a farm between the little towns of Bimbi and Quandialla, about 30 minutes from Grenfell.

​

I’ve been asked back here today to tell you all about how I studied, and how I think my own experiences will be able to aid you in your own academic journeys.

​

I’ve been thinking about this speech for a while. About what I’d say, and how useful it would actually be. I thought about telling you all exactly how I studied, and what you could learn from it. 

​

I realised pretty quickly, that that wouldn’t work. Because the way I studied, was completely unique to me. To the fact that I was a weekly boarder, with the timetable and routine it gave me. To the subjects I did, almost exclusively maths and science, which made self-marking possible. To my own circumstances and motivations. The way I study, is the way “I” study. 

​

I learn the content. I learn it, until i understand it completely, no matter how long it takes. I’ve spent literal weeks before, trying to understand singular concepts, that I just couldn’t wrap my head around. Once I’d done that, I did practice exams, and applied that knowledge.

​

In the end, I did a lot of practice papers. Throughout 2025, I did well over a hundred 2 to 3 hour exams during my afternoons. That was my weekday, at the dorm, at study centre. Then, during my weekends at home, I took a break. I didn’t touch schoolwork, I didn’t do extra study. If I had homework, I’d do it in class that friday, or in whatever study period I had free before it was due. 

It allowed me time to reset, having an environment to study in, and environment to take a break. It allowed me to keep going, to keep motivated. 

​

Some of you may find my methods helpful, or you may incorporate parts of it into your own, but for most of you, it’s not the way you’ll study, because your circumstances won’t necessarily be the same. Maths papers are easier to mark than most other subjects. It’s hard to mark an essay with no experience, but you can pretty validate a number. 

​

Instead, I recommend you study whatever ways you feel works for you. Learn from what your teachers here tell you. They know what they’re doing.

​

But, studying. It’s a big word. And it doesn’t mean much to a lot of people. Because for some people, there’s simply no reason to study.

​

And that’s the core of the matter, really. To study, you need a reason. And that, over anything else, is want to leave you with. Not with my study tips, not with my methods that helped me. I want you to understand that to study, you don’t need fancy tips. You don’t need exact, regulated methods. At the end of the day, you need to just sit down and get to work. 

​

To do that, you need motivation. You need passion. You need something, no matter what it is, to give you a reason to apply yourself.

​

For me, it was my love of maths, and my plans to pursue a career in it one day. Something I’m now on the path to do at Uni. For me, it’s not just a subject at school. It’s a personal interest of mine, that I genuinely enjoy. So, what does it take to get a career in maths, beyond teaching? A lot. The field is incredibly competitive. There are a lot more degrees than there are jobs. So if I wanted one of those jobs, I needed to do really well in maths.

​

That’s where my lesson is. I had something that I loved doing, and to one day get paid for doing it, I’ve had to put my back into it. That was my motivation to study. The reason I could sit down after school, and decide to print a new exam.

So, what does that mean for each of you? 

​

I want each and everyone of you, to find and identify something that can be that for you. A passion. A hobby. A subject you really like. Something you can see yourself in a career in. It might be something you watch a lot of videos on, or something you always keep up to date on. For some of you, it could very well be academic, like it was for me. For others, it might be sport, others, music. For a lot of people, niche hobbies I’ve never heard of.

 

If you have a passion in a subject here at this school, then that is your motivation, to keep studying, to keep doing your best. If your passion requires you to go to Uni, then that is your motivation. If your passion can be turned into a sustainable career, then that’s your motivation. If it can’t, then you better start working towards a career that’ll fund your passion, and that will be your motivation. 

​

High school is the place to start. The people here, your teachers, are here to help you achieve your dreams. It might not always seem like it, but I guarantee every teacher wants you to do well. They’ll be able to steer you onto the right path. All you’ve got to do is be proactive.

​

All of you, no matter your year, your age, or your circumstances. Think. I want you to think about what you want to be doing with your time at Red Bend, and what your plans for the future are. It’s never too early to start thinking, even if you’re only in year 7. But soon, it will be too late. You’ll have missed some amazing opportunities. Start now. Find your passion. Find your motivation. And make the most of the opportunities presented to you.

​

Thank you Red Bend.