Lewis and Lauren Clark

Our journey, outback

Monday, June 15, 2015

Getting to Karalundi Aboriginal Educational Community is a journey, to say the least. Located 830 kilometres northeast of Perth, the trek is a nine-hour drive through sunburnt country to the town of Meekatharra. It is a calling not for the faint hearted—and for Lauren and Lewis Clark, graduates of Avondale College of Higher Education, the call to Karalundi has marked the beginning of their teaching careers—albeit an unexpected start.

“I sat in a lecture at Avondale where the Western Australian Adventist schools director was telling us about Karalundi,” Lauren says. “I literally turned to my friend and said, ‘It’s in the middle of nowhere, I’d never go there!’ I guess God took that as a challenge, because He opened the door to Karalundi at a time when other doors had closed, and I was in a position to say yes.”

The Clarks’ journey to Karalundi began at Avondale in 2008. Lauren had been passionate about teaching home economics since Year 9. “I wanted to help students who weren’t achieving very well in other subjects, to give them something to be proud of at school.” Lewis, however, enrolled at Avondale “on a bit of whim.” Originally studying communication, he made the switch to secondary teaching as the industrial technology program began to grow. “I was told many times to enjoy the Avondale experience as it would be the best time of my life,” he says. “It’s not until now that I realise how true that is. I meet so many people and made lifelong friends—and found the wife!”

Lauren and Lewis both graduated with a Bachelor of Education (Secondary) in technology and applied studies—Lauren in 2012 and Lewis in 2013. Lewis’ call to Karalundi came two months before graduation, when Lauren had already been working there for three terms. They married in January 2014.

“I was hesitant to say yes [to Karalundi] because my friends and I had already planned how we were going to spend the last few months together,” Lewis says. “But I knew that it was time to join the real world and start a new life.”

Their new life hasn’t been without challenges, but the Clarks have taken them in stride. Cultural differences between the students and teachers can seem vast at times, but Lauren feels her time at Avondale, and her Ministry of Teaching Overseas trip to Cambodia in 2010, helped prepare her for Karalundi.

“Even though Aboriginal culture and Cambodian culture are different, the trip gave me confidence to teach in a culture different to my own,” Lauren says. “There is so much that cannot be taught—to have a class of your own and to feel the responsibility for their learning is something that can only be experienced when you are in the field.”

Lauren’s favourite memory of her time at Karalundi is of a school trip she and Lewis went on to Broome. “It was such a great time bonding with staff and students, singing songs and riding camels on Cable Beach with the students. Especially the time when a wild pig tried to snuggle up next to us while camping under the stars!”

The boarding school environment means that Lauren and Lewis spend more time with their students than most other teachers. Being in a remote location away from family, while tough, has helped strengthen their relationships with the students. “Family is super important to the kids,” Lauren says. “It can be hard for us to be far away from our families, but the students in the dorms are away from family, too, and it can be a bonding thing to know that we are all relying on each other.”

“You get the opportunity to build genuine relationships with the students,” Lewis adds. “That’s why I stay.”

Sara Bolst
Author

Sara Bolst

Sara edited alumni magazine Reflections and served as Assistant Public Relations Officer during her tenure at Avondale College of Higher Education.

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