Veronika Chester

Alumni award educator for commitment to ministry of teaching

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Veronika Chester

Veronika Chester enjoyed her Avondale experience so much, she graduated twice—in 1965 and with a Bachelor of Education in 1995. She received a scholarship during the final year of her Diploma of Primary Teaching that committed her to work for the Seventh-day Adventist Church for a year after graduation. So began a lifetime of service—often as a sole teacher—at Adventist schools in Australia and the Pacific islands.

Her first calling: Wagga Wagga, followed by Fulton College, the first of six appointments to educational institutions in the islands. The last of these—as lecturer in education and English at Pacific Adventist University in Papua New Guinea, a role that also saw her develop literacy programs for local villages—preceded Veronika’s retirement. She has continued to serve in retirement as a teacher trainer in the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu and as a support for teacher induction in northern Australia.

Veronika’s European heritage—a Szeszeran from Berlin who has returned at least three times to the country of her birth—saw her teach German at Avondale and Toronto schools for six years. She came to the role with experience as a primary supervisor at Central Coast and Hamilton schools.

Veronika first met husband Graham at a friend’s wedding—he played violin while she recited a poem. The two became soulmates, married in 1970 and raised three children—Kerralyn, Lynden and Sharlene. Music played a significant role in and out of the home—the family would often lead musical programs at aged-care facilities. This came naturally to Veronika—she had sung in the Avondale Symphonic Choir, performed in musicals and eisteddfods and led choirs at some of the institutions in which she taught. She continues to coordinate musical programs for the Avondale Lifestyle Community.

Rounding out this interest in the arts: a record as a published writer and as a public speaker.

Veronika thanks God, profusely, for His providence. “It’s been a great journey.”

The Avondale Alumni Association honours Veronika for her lifetime of service to Seventh-day Adventist education and for her commitment to the ministry of teaching.

Brenton Stacey
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Brenton Stacey

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Brenton is Avondale University’s Public Relations and Philanthropy Officer. He brings to the role experience as a communicator in publishing, media relations, public relations, radio and television, mostly within the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific and its entities.

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