Hope Vale’s Kade Wallace with his proud family at his August 26 QUT graduation ceremony.
WITH the ink on his university graduation certificate barely dry off the printer, Kade Wallace has enrolled in the Queensland Police Service as he chases his dream career as a detective.
The Hope Vale product has only just turned 21, but has been focused on his career since childhood, studying as a boarding student at Brisbane Grammar School and going on to complete his Bachelor of Justice majoring in policing and criminology at Queensland University of Technology.
“Growing up I’ve always wanted to go to uni and get a degree,” he said.
“When I was a kid I wanted to join the army, but later on once I was at boarding school, I wanted to join the police force and become a detective.”
Kade said he was inspired by his aunty, who is a service police officer, and put in his application to the Queensland Police Service straight after his graduation.
“There’s a whole lot of stuff I want to do, but joining the police and becoming a detective is first,” he said.
“I’m proud of myself, definitely – uni was hard, but I was really into the degree and the work they gave us, so it was fun as well and that’s what kept me going.”
Kade, whose siblings still live in the Cooktown and Hope Vale area, said he was the only one in his family to attend university and encouraged other kids from Cape York to embrace the opportunities education offers.
“It’s a good experience, moving out of home and going to boarding school, I’d definitely encourage other kids to give it a go,” he said.
“The only advice I’d give is make friends when you get to boarding school and they will be by your side for life.”
Kade Wallace is on his way to becoming a detective after graduating with a Bachelor of Justice majoring in policing and criminology.
