At some point in every person’s story, there’s a teacher or mentor who changes everything. For me, that person was the late Nick Enright.
He was my acting teacher when I was a young drama student at WAAPA from 1999 to 2001. I had heard of Nick in kind of revered whispers before I was ever at WAAPA. By the time I met him personally, he had been nominated for an Oscar, but you would never meet a more humble person.
Eventually he was just a guy we would pick up on morning beach runs. Nick was one of us. He was a teacher, yes – a phenomenal one – but he was also, palpably for anyone who ever met him, a student. It would be his preferred title.
Anyone who has ever been touched by the soft, warm light of his teaching will remember that smile and that inquisitive look that would begin every class. He deserves to be thought of in the highest terms, not just because of who he was, but for what he encouraged.
He had an ethereal quality of being somehow both a part of humanity, but also an observer of it. He taught me that passion was something that should be pursued. He taught me that truth, on stage or off, is something that should be valued. He taught all that, but above all, he taught me that kindness matters.
Now, I am 45 years old and his name is whispered as legend among a new generation of actors and acting students – exactly as it deserves to be.
That influence didn’t just change how I saw myself; it set me on the path of storytelling, performance and education that became my life’s work. Today, as CEO and founder of the educational theatre company Poetry in Action, I see the ripple effects of teachers like him in classrooms across Australia.
That’s why, this Thursday 23 October, is Who Would You Honour? It is a chance to say thank you to the teachers and mentors who changed our lives, just as Nick changed mine.
We’re inviting Australians everywhere to take part. Ahead of AusArts Giving Day on 23 October, we’re asking you to name that person, share a short message of gratitude, and make a symbolic donation. The suggested amount is one dollar for every year since you left school. Every dollar raised supports students in under-resourced schools through our nationwide Play It Forward program.
This initiative is designed to give Australians a meaningful way to say thank you, while also supporting the students who may one day become the teachers and mentors for the next generation.
It’s a simple idea, but a powerful one.
At Poetry in Action, we have spent nearly twenty years witnessing the transformative power of good teaching. Since 2006, we have brought live, high-energy performances of poetry and literature to more than 900,000 young people across Australia and overseas. Our work puts us in front of over 70,000 students a year, from the humblest of community halls in rural Northern Territory, to international audiences in Dubai and New Zealand.
We have seen many schools, and many students, and many teachers, and it has taught us, time and time again, that change begins when someone believes in you. We see students who came in unsure of themselves suddenly sit up and connect.
Through language and performance, they find confidence. They find their voice, and we are so proud to have the opportunity to see that fire in their eyes.
That same fire is in the eyes of students in classrooms in every school in every town, every country, every day.
This is about honouring the people that spark those fires, theones who made us feel seen, who helped us understand our worth, and who encouraged us to express ourselves without fear.
In 2026, as we mark Poetry in Action’s 20th anniversary, every tribute shared through this campaign will be included in a National Honour Roll that will tour with us around the country. It will be a living archive of gratitude and a reminder of the powerful role educators play in shaping lives.
For me, Nick Enright was that person. He helped shape the way I see the world, the way I listen to others, and the kind of work I wanted to create. His influence lives on in everything we do at Poetry in Action.
On AusArts Giving Day 23 October, I’ll be honouring him and the many mentors who helped me find my voice – and I hope you’ll join me. Whether it was a drama teacher like mine, a maths tutor, a primary school hero, or a quiet mentor who led by example, their influence matters and it is incredibly important to recognise that.
So, who would you honour?