The Catholic Weekly 5 September 2021

catholicweekly.com.au 3 5, September, 2021 SINGERS JORDAN and Sian Fuller have made television history, believed to be the first siblings to make it on The Voice. And not content with just appearing on the show, the performing pair have beaten hundreds of hopefuls to finish in the final eight, vying this weekend for a spot in the cov- eted Grand Final. The current and former students of St Patrick’s Col- lege Sutherland both agree the only thing better than be- ing on the show is appearing on it together. Jordan, who graduated from the college in 2019, and Sian, who is in Year 12, turned all four judges’ chairs during the show’s blind auditions and have become social me- dia darlings since. Incredibly, Sian only at- tended the original auditions to support her brother and was asked if she would per- form and blew the judges away. “Jordan was scouted to au- dition through his social me- dia accounts and I went along to watch him and to be hon- est was feeling relieved that I WAGGA WAGGA Catholic Stina Constantine says she is grateful for some respite in her fight against deportation, with the granting of a short- term visa after two years of uncertainty. Stina, 31, is the founder of Virtue Ministry, leading a team of speakers who run workshops and presentations for students about healthy relationships, cultivating vir- tues, and Christian spiritual- ity. She is also a social worker with Relationships Australia and with Country Hope, an organisation that supports families with children suffer- ing cancer or other life-threat- ening illnesses. Despite spending most of her life in Australia and repre- senting her city as Miss Wagga Wagga last year, an adminis- trative error saw her in breach of her visa requirements and facing deportation to her na- tive Norway. Nearly 14,000 people signed a Change.org petition supporting her request for ministerial intervention to grant her a visa and Australian citizenship. The active member of St Michael’s Cathedral in Wag- ga Wagga also applied for her case to be heard in the Fed- eral Circuit Court. Her cause was supported by communi- ty leaders including the local MP Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack and the Catholic community. This month Minister for Immigra- tion Alex Hawke advised Stina that he had granted her a two- year graduate visa. “This is not permanen- cy, however I’m grateful that this second, very convoluted, and unnecessary side step in Brother and sister are in the final eight and looking good ¾ Debbie Cramsie ¾ Marilyn Rodrigues Students find their Voice could just sit back and enjoy his performance,” Sian told The Catholic Weekly . “I was totally blown away when Sonia Kruger asked if I was interested in auditioning. “At first, I thought I would not be able to fit it in as I am in Year 12 and I wanted to focus on my HSC, and then a little voice inside me said “if you say NO you will regret it” and I guess the rest is history.” Performing for as long as they can remember, their musical journey began well before they joined Team Guy Sebastian (Jordan) and Team Rita Ora (Sian), as alumni of Sydney Catholic Schools’ creative and performing arts program CaSPA. They were members of school bands, have written music together and also performed in local musical theatre productions. Proud mum Danielle, a music education officer at Sydney Catholic Schools, said there is a lot of excitement about the show and their fu- ture careers. “The whole experience has been amazing, Sian and Jor- dan have definitely gained so much from all areas of the production,” she said. “There is a lot that goes into creating the magic of each performance and they have worked at a professional level with so many different people and made some wonderful friendships and connections.” College principal Janine Kenney said the singing sib- lings had caused a lot of ex- citement within the school community. “It is so great to see Sian and Jordan perform on The Voice, we are all tuned in,” she said. “To have all four judges turn around for both of them is a testament to their talent and we are all very proud of them.” It’s good to know I have two years but also disappoint- ing because I had asked for some pathway to permanent residency and therewas no acknowledgement of that in theMinister’s correspondence.” Stina Constantine Wagga Catholic can stay my story towards citizenship is over,” she said. “It’s good to know I have two years but also disappointing because I had asked for some pathway to permanent residency and there was no acknowledge- ment of that in the Minister’s correspondence.” With a restructuring of visas and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Stina said the path forward was not clear but she would need to look at her options again in about six months. “I don’t really have time on my side, but I am really grateful for this news because it gives me a chance to have a break and recharge,” she said. She said she was grateful for the huge amount of com- munity support she received, including financial support to cover her legal costs and that the experience had given her a more acute sense of justice. “If I can some way down the track help change this system so that no one has to be in a position like this again because of an error that could have been easily fixed, I would like to be able to do that,” she said. Sian and Jordan backstage on The Voice. Jordan graduated from St Patricks Sutherland in 2019 while Sian is doing her HSC at the college this year. Sian Fuller, left, and her brother Jordan: the current and former St Patricks College students are believed to be the first siblings to make it on the popular TV program The Voice. The pair are now both through to the final eight. PHOTOS: CHANNEL 7 NEWS