Community spirit fuels major donation to Raymond Terrace Public School

RAYMOND Terrace Public School has received a significant boost to its student support resources, following a donation of 48 fully equipped backpacks from The Backpack Venture charity.

“These backpacks complete with everything from a lunch box, drink bottle and all of the other essential stationery, including a handball, will truly assist the schools to help provide for those students in need as well as incoming students,” Principal Selena Langholz said.

“Without the generosity of our community and The Backpack Venture charity we would not be able to assist those who need it most.

“As a Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) school, these resources will directly assist students in engaging confidently with their education.”

This contribution was made possible through a collaborative community effort.

The office of Port Stephens MP Kate Washington served as a central drop-off location for the charity’s Back to School Drive.

Xavier Vaughan, recently named 2026 Port Stephens Young Citizen of the Year, led fundraising efforts through his “Xavier’s Dream Treasures” initiative.

The ‘Medowie Mums’ group assisted with collections, donation of products and storage space.

Nelson Bay local Stephen Keating spearheaded local collections at Coles Salamander Bay.

When Xavier was asked how he felt seeing donations and collections being delivered to a local school, he said, “This is awesome, when we were collecting we didn’t see where the donations went to, but now I know, it feels really good.”

While The Backpack Venture is well known for its mission to support small rural and remote schools across NSW, this latest donation underscores their commitment to assisting families in need within the local area.

“The people of Port Stephens sure know how to dig deep when it comes to helping community, this is especially true of the work that Xavier has done with bringing his community together along with the Medowie Mums to collect on behalf of our charity,” The Backpack Venture spokesperson Colleen Mulholland said.

For more information on how to support future donation drives, please visit The Backpack Venture’s Facebook page.  Donations to the charity can be dropped off Monday to Friday at Kate Washington’s office.