Enjoy a moment hearing from this 1981 graduate and Year 3 teacher at Avondale School
Where are you living?
In Cooranbong. Can you believe it? As a dyed-in-the-wool Melbourne girl, I never thought I’d return.
Why did you choose to study at Avondale?
After listening to exciting stories of my mum saving lives, delivering babies, and coaxing patients back to health, I was always going to be a nurse. But when I was 14, I was in a meeting at church where a boy was asked to read a passage aloud. He stumbled his way through the words. I felt for him as he tortured the sentences. Indignation rose up inside me. Why hadn’t teachers helped this boy to read properly? In that split second I knew I was going to be a teacher. When the time came to begin my study, Avondale was the only place I considered. I was keen for a Seventh-day Adventist education and the opportunity to make new Christian friends.
Did you work at Avondale?
I worked in the canteen for a semester. I made whopping ice cream Sundays for anyone who lined up in my queue. I remember the first lecturer I served ordering a toasted sandwich. He made me so nervous that the veggies I piled up just refused to stay inside the bread.
Tell us about a professional brag moment.
I have the Master Teacher as my teaching partner. My greatest hope is that I’ll meet all of my students under the Avondale School Year 3 tree in heaven. I love teaching. It makes me happy to see students sparkle with the love of learning. The creativity involved in making education engaging feeds my soul and the opportunity to make an impact on the lives of students is more satisfying than a million dollars in the bank.
How would you define your Avondale experience?
Avondale was: jumping in Marmite creek (Dora Creek) on a boiling hot day; making sticky sweet popcorn in the Andre Hall kitchen; running through the rabbit warren corridors of Preston Hall to reach my friends in Andre; getting up at 4 am to write an essay with only a few hours to slam it together; gluten steaks in the caf; midnight birthday parties; beautiful music; inspiring worship services in the Audo; lay-ups and blisters on the basketball court; laughter and prayers with friends; worships in Ladies Chapel; transformational grammar with Mr Cooper and poetry with Dr Cox; Girls Walk after tea, and; bike rides to the outdoor married units to make soggy chips.
Who positively influenced your Avondale experience?
We laughed together, went on early morning jogs up College Drive, attended classes together, and complained about the stodgy Sunday lunches. She was my personal banker who loaned me money when mine ran out. She inspired me to organise my wardrobe immaculately just as she did. Her name was Leonie and she was my friend. Leonie died of a brain tumour last year. She battled bravely and serenely with her full trust in her heavenly Father. I miss her.
Tell us about your worst travel experience.
I remember the trip to my first teaching appointment in Townsville. My brother drove me up from Melbourne in just two days. The accelerator was flat to the boards. We flew past road trains and ate the dust from big trucks. The sun beat in the windows of the un-air-conditioned car and turned one of my arms red. The beat-up white Torana dodged potholes and kangaroos. It owned the road like a hawk owns the sky.
Townsville wasn’t my requested place to teach. I was so homesick in the first few weeks that I couldn’t even eat. The humidity was stifling. The new principal hadn’t arrived yet. As I inspected the room where I was to teach the infant class, cockroaches ran out of the cupboards. I learned a lot that year. My students brightened up my days. I made lots of mistakes, but I loved my kids.
Were you involved in a chaff at Avondale?
It was a Saturday night, nothing was on and we were at a loose end, so what do you do when there’s no fun to be had? You invent your own, of course. So, we crept up the stairs of the chapel and yanked on the rope that rang the bell. We rang it loud and long. We could hear the boys’ dean and some of his helpers coming. They searched the chapel to no avail. We waited until they were gone and rang the bell again. What they didn’t realise, as they searched the building for a second time, was that I had a key to the little music room at the top of the stairs where Mrs Durrant gave piano lessons. We were hiding behind the piano and our sides were aching from stifled laughter. The boys ran up and down those stairs so many times that night. “Look,” one of them said, “the rope is still swinging. They must be here somewhere.” We got tired of the prank and decided to sneak back to our rooms. We made it halfway across the lawn when a spotlight caught us.
What advice do you have for students who are considering studying at Avondale?
Avondale was an amazing experience for me. Avondale graduates are highly esteemed in the teaching profession. I’ve had six nieces and nephews graduate from Avondale and they all had a ball. You’ll make lifelong friends and receive a first-class Christian education at Avondale. Just pack your bags and go!
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