Declan Fay

Just letting you that Declan was a huge hit with our kids on Friday. I particularly appreciated the time he took after the event to chat to a handful of kids who were able to wait back.

Please pass on my thanks to Declan.

Declan is a fantastic storyteller and even better he always ensures that there is a key message relevant to the audience that is linked to his stories.  The students loved him and his anecdotes, and have taken to heart many of the life lessons he touched upon.  He is engaging, personable and always excellent value.

Declan presented at Charles La Trobe College Year 9 Health Day and was enjoyed by both students and staff, feedback overall was excellent. The performance covered many areas of adolescent behaviour and sent a positive message in a funny way which students could relate to…I would highly recommend Declan and Booked Out  and plan to utilise their services again in 2016.

(Panel Feedback) All three speakers were excellent. The panel worked very well with it being a balanced input from all speakers and Bec moderating the discussion. Bec, Tim and Declan were all very generous with what they spoke about and their time. It was due to the panel that the audience felt engaged, inspired and therefore felt a part of the discussion.

After recess the students welcomed comedian Mr Declan Fay to Loyola College who shared a simple life message with them. In a laughter-filled presentation he encouraged our Year 9 students not to “wonder what if…”. Having developed for himself a career as a comedy writer for Rove and The Chaser as well as a host and radio presenter on Triple R, Triple J and most recently Triple M, Declan Fay provided the students with real life illustrations of taking full advantage of opportunities on offer. He noted that no matter how well you may plan there are times where all may go wrong. However what is critical is developing the resilience to never give up and always learn from one’s mistakes. He also spoke of the importance of following one’s passions in life as there was no value in doing anything in life if it didn’t bring us enjoyment. He noted that as a student he had a real passion for writing and that he has utilised this talent in his comedy writing that has seen him do very well in the very competitive field of comedy. Through the laughter our students had heard some important life lessons which they could employ.

We have just finished our fantastic last night talent show and wanted to pass on to you the sentiments of a few of our kids. Two performers shared with the crowd that if it wasn’t for your presentation this morning and the “Don’t wonder what if” message then they would not have got up on stage tonight (there was quite a bit of neck jerking going on on the crowd at this time as well!).

One student even repeated your crazy bird action and celebrated that he was able to move beyond this and perform his act. Another one of our girls had spoken to the talent show organiser earlier in the day when he was reconfirming the acts, telling him that she was ready to pull out until she had seen your presentation.

I really wanted to pass this on as I am sure you get lots of general feedback about the entertainment that you provide, but your message is also having a real positive impact on kids. Thanks again for hanging around to field all those questions.

[Declan] was terrific! Really funny, pitched at their level, had good advice that came out clearly. He also stuck around and chatted to the staff and kids afterwards. The Skyline Board members were impressed with the light hearted tone he set for the afternoon (at what was a very dry information session in previous years). Thanks for organising it, your recommendation was spot-on.

The students loved Declan – thought he was hilarious but also took on board the message of his presentation. Not only was his talk humorous but it was insightful, thought provoking and very relevant for our students. I would recommend him to other schools happily!