Gawler student Hannah Somerville is one of 150 young South Australians who have been selected to take part in the Commissioner for Children and Young People’s South Australian Student Representative Council (SA SRC).
As part of the Council, the Xavier College student had the unique opportunity to attend this year’s SA SRC Summit, where 19 State Members of Parliament were in attendance to discuss issues and ideas both locally and globally, including State Member for Light and Labor Duty Member for Schubert, Tony Piccolo MP.
“I was fortunate enough to be placed alongside Tony on my table, and we discussed things he could look into from a government perspective,” Hannah said.
“We talked about the wars happening in Ukraine, Russia, Palestine and Israel, then mental health and also what’s happening in parliaments overseas.”
“We’re lucky to have Tony in our community because he does a lot for us, and I’m just trying to do what I can – my whole family are very driven and passionate about helping people through supporting local businesses and volunteering in the community.”
At just 14 years of age, Mr Piccolo is impressed with the level of knowledge, leadership and enthusiasm Hannah possesses in her pursuit to help the community.
“Our future is promising when hearing how passionately these children spoke on quite advanced political matters, and Hannah is leading the way with her efforts not only within school, but during her own free time,” Mr Piccolo said.
The Council was created in a bid to give the youth across all parts of the state a voice in policy and decision making, with the students split into five groups to focus on different issues; Hannah’s focus has been on “free fares for all”.
“My brother and I are charged $50 per fortnight to catch the bus to and from school within Gawler, but I know other families living out Lyndoch way and other areas are paying thousands each year,” Hannah said.
“Our group are investigating ways to subsidise fares for certain hours of the day and reviewing what other states have introduced such as Western Australia.
“Everyone in the Council meets every month and is really passionate and open to opposing ideas, which helps us explore all options and come to conclusions on what we need to pursue.”
Hannah is inspired by the leadership of her father, James Somerville, who founded Beast and Beauty Co – a local hairdressing business that caters for the whole family, including a safe space for clients with special needs – and she joins James in volunteering for the Gawler Cancer Council Relay for Life.
While her dream is to help people in the medical field as a neurosurgeon, Hannah is keen to “be involved in law-making” – and if you see her in the community, she’s “always happy to chat and help others succeed.”