The BCMP is a unique collaboration between Chifley College Bidwill Campus and the Blacktown News where students write and create a mainstream digital and print newspaper section that shares news about school life and the Bidwill local community. bidwill@accessnews.com.au Inside: NAIDOC DAY CELEBRATIONS AT BIDWILL
Edition 4 | October 2025 Online edition is hosted permanently at www.greaterblacktownnews.com.au
VICTOR CHANG AWARDS RECIPIENTS
Celebrating our love of science BY SANDRA STEPHEN AND JULIUS JAN REYES
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N August 21 two Year 11 Bidwill students, Sandra Stephen and Julius Jan Reyes attended a Blacktown City Council event as recipients of the Victor Chang Science Award. Established in 2004 in honour of pioneering cardiac surgeon Dr. Victor Chang, this award recognises talented young students with a passion for science. The annual School Science Awards are organised by Blacktown City Council in partnership with the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute. Their purpose is to encourage growth in the Ĝelds of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), inspiring students to pursue these disciplines at the tertiary level and beyond. Our students attended the ceremony with their parents and grandparents, who expressed how proud they were and how this recognition would motivate their children to continue striving for academic success. Julius and Sandra were
interviewed about this tremendous achievement: What is the Victor Chang School Science Award? Sandra: “Victor Chang School Science Awards are given to students around Sydney and Australia who have done outstanding work in science. It’s also for commemorating Victor Chang himself. “ Julius: “Victor Chang did revolutionary work as a cardiologist / heart surgeon.” Well, that leads me to the next question I was going to ask, which is, who was Dr Victor Chang? Julius: “Well, if you just search up his name there's going to be a phrase which states that he was known as the most prominent doctor in the southern hemisphere. He was an amazing man, a hero who was tragically assassinated.” Sandra: “I think someone like that who did heart transplants should be remembered, so it’s such an honour to receive this award.”
Why were you both nominated for this award? Sandra: “I was nominated for the award for doing outstanding work in science. I don’t think it was for any one thing, but more for just being consistent over a long period of time. What I love about science is how we learn about the really deep questions, like how the universe works and how life came to Earth.” Julius: “I'd like to think that teachers at the school nominated me because of the high grades that I got in Maths and Physics. Both subjects really go hand in hand and help each other.” What are your goals for the future? Julius: “I'd like to work in the Ĝeld of engineering, although that’s extremely broad and I'm not really sure as to what exactly, right, as of the moment. Electrical engineering seems interesting to me.” Sandra: “I want to be a nurse like my mum. Maybe I could become a registered nurse and then become an
SANDRA STEPHEN AND JULIUS JAN REYES receive their awards.
educator later in life. I'm not doing a School Based Apprenticeship (SBAT) because I’m on a university ATAR pathway.” This year’s ceremony was especially meaningful for our school, as Lochlan McRae, now a successful Physics teacher, once received the same award as one of our top Science students in 2009. His journey is a powerful reminder of where a passion for STEM can lead. Today, Lochlan continues to inspire and nurture a new generation of students, fostering their interest and achievements in STEM. In reĝecting on his own experience of receiving the award, Mr McRae stated that “Receiving the Victor Chang School Science Award sparked my passion for science and showed me the power of discovery. It inspired me to pursue a career in teaching, so I could help ignite that same curiosity in others.” This is a very proud and memorable moment for our school community, with the awards to also be recognised at our Annual Presentation Night at Evans Theatre, Penrith on December 9.