As our Year 12 Class of 2025 prepares to graduate, we felt it important to pay special tribute to a student who has had a truly extraordinary high school journey.
Amelia ‘Milly’ was born in Western Australia, fully blind. At six months of age, she regained a small amount of sight but remains legally blind to this day.
In 2016, at age eight, Milly began Year 3 at Concordia College. That year, her teacher organised a blind sport demonstration to help the class understand her vision impairment. It was here that Milly was first introduced to Goalball; a sport designed specifically for people with vision impairment and a recognised Paralympic sport.
In April 2019, Milly began playing Goalball competitively. Just months later, in October, she competed, representing South Australia at her first Australian Goalball Championships (AGC), where she earned a bronze medal in the junior division.
Following the disruptions of COVID-19, Milly returned to competition in 2021, winning a gold medal in the junior division and earning promotion to the South Australian state senior team, where she helped secure a bronze medal. Her progress caught the attention of national selectors, and in 2022, Milly was added to the Aussie Belles, Australia’s senior national Goalball squad. Later that year, aged just 14, she represented her country at the World Championships in Porto, Portugal, scoring her first international goal against Egypt.
In 2023, Milly travelled to São Paulo, Brazil, to compete in the Youth World Championships, where she claimed silver after a hard-fought final against Türkiye. Domestically, she also took first place at the NSW State Championships and second at the AGC senior division.
That same year, Milly began exploring other sports and took up blind cricket. Her natural talent with the bat led to her selection in the first-ever Australian Women’s Blind and Low Vision (BLV) Cricket Team, representing Australia at the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) World Games in Birmingham, England. She earned her Baggy Green (No. 13) against England and went on to play in the final at Edgbaston Stadium, narrowly losing to India.
However, Milly's return home was met with unexpected difficulty. She struggled to recover from the overseas trip, and after becoming increasingly fatigued—culminating in being sent home from a Year 10 Camp—she was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).
In November 2023, she began treatment at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Adelaide. Despite being given a small chance of recovery, Milly faced her diagnosis and numerous rounds of chemotherapy with remarkable courage. After several setbacks, she successfully underwent a stem cell transplant at Randwick Children’s Hospital in Sydney.
Her resilience paid off. By October 2024, Milly recommenced her Year 11 studies, completing all assessable work with the support of Concordia College and the Hospital School. She returned to full-time learning in Year 12 in 2025, now supported by her Guide Dog, Bixby—a loyal companion who has brought her renewed confidence, mobility and comfort.
At the start of 2025, Milly returned to training and added another sport to her repertoire: blind tennis. She steadily rebuilt her strength and was once again selected to represent Australia, this time in a T20 blind cricket series against Pakistan in April. Her year continued with a runner-up finish at the NSW BLV Tennis Championships, a doubles victory at the National Tennis Championships, and a silver medal at the AGC’s held in Sydney.
Milly is now back training with the Aussie Belles, preparing for the next Goalball World Championships in her pursuit of qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games.
She will also complete her Year 12 studies this year, and immediately following her final exam, she will travel to India and Sri Lanka to represent Australia at the inaugural Women’s Blind and Low Vision T20 Cricket World Cup.
Milly is a shining example of what can be achieved through perseverance, courage and unrelenting determination. She has turned adversity into triumph, and her journey continues to inspire all who meet her. She is not only an elite athlete but also a role model, proving that challenges can be faced and overcome, with strength and resilience.
We are so proud of you Milly.
