Parklands School was treated to an inspirational talk from an impressive young sportswoman earlier this month.
Kennedy Cherrington, 25, is an Australian rugby league and union player, who is a prop for the Parramatta Eels in the NRL Women’s Premiership as well as a Jillaroo.
Her team won a gold medal at the 2017 Youth Commonwealth Games in the Bahamas. She was also a medallist at the 2018 Oceania Games in Fiji and the 2019 Pacific Games in Samoa.
Parklands School student Tia Herewini has played rugby for Huia for four years, and she was thrilled to have her rugby boots signed by Kennedy when she visited the school and spoke to the students about her journey.
The 12-year-old winger says that Kennedy’s message to “be better than yesterday” was one that she took away with her. She was also inspired by Kennedy’s journey as a “heart kid”, hearing how the woman had undergone two years of repeated surgeries from when she was eight years old.
Kennedy has family in New Zealand and whakapapas to Ngapuhi, Ngati Hine, Tuwharetoa and Ngāti Ruapani ki Waikaremoana.
She says that the visit to Parklands was very special, and that although she has spoken to hundreds of schools in Australia, this was her first in Aotearoa.
“They were so engaged, and I got very emotional when they welcomed me with haka and waiata.”
