Georgia Sets Her Own Pace
Girls Academy alumna, Georgia Taggart has had a big start to the year. From Australia Day lunch at Government House with the Hon Gladys Berejiklian, Premier of NSW and His Excellency General The Hon David Hurley AC DSC ( Ret’d), Governer of NSW, to being named Tamworth’s Young Citizen of the Year and carrying the Queen’s Baton in the Tamworth leg of the 2018 Commonwealth Games Queen’s Baton Relay – she is a young woman with a lot going on. No wonder she is taking a year off from study!
This year has been earmarked as a gap year for Georgia, during which she will work as hard as she can and do some travel, with trips to Thailand and Europe already on the cards. It is a well-deserved break for a very hard-working contributor to the community.
In 2017 Georgia was School Captain of Tamworth High School where she excelled academically in the arts and on the sporting field. As a result of her achievements Georgia was the recipient of the 2017 Brian Sampson Memorial Award as well as winning the 2017 Principal’s Gold Medal for the second year in a row. Georgia says that the awards don’t rank highly among the things she really values though. “I don’t do if for awards,” Georgia says, “I just love to help people and be a part of my community. That is what gives me the greatest joy.”
Getting the opportunity to run with the baton as part of the Queen’s Baton Relay as it came through Tamworth on Wednesday 31 January was a highlight. “It was all over really quickly, but it was such an adrenaline rush!” Georgia said. The only difficult part of discovering she had been named as a baton bearer was keeping it a secret from her parents. Georgia received her phone call two weeks before the official announcement, and wasn’t allowed to tell anyone until the news was made public. “I really didn’t know what to say when they rang me,” Georgia said. “I’m sure there was at least a 30 second pause, I just couldn’t believe it!”
When the official list of Baton Bearers was finally released Georgia was stunned to find out she was the only female selected to represent Tamworth. The day itself was a wonderful experience with Georgia travelling on the Queen’s Baton Relay bus with the other local baton bearers, each sharing their inspirational stories. “I’m just so thankful to whoever nominated me.” Georgia said, “It really is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
So where to next for this young go-getter?
Georgia attended Army First Look in 2016 and is keen to pursue a career in the Australian Defence Force after her gap year, where she will work labouring for the family business in between travel. While Georgia had originally considered a career in the Army, she now has her sights set on becoming an Officer in the Navy. Georgia continues to contribute to her community, volunteering for the local Bounce Back program, a diversionary youth program running on Saturday evenings. She will continue to link in with her local Post School Options Officer, Tarran Snape, for continued support in what is sure to be an exciting journey.