Teachers chalk up decades of service
They have toiled over chalkboards, wrestled with cassette players and ever-changing technology, marked rolls and assignments with pencils, sweltered in non-airconditioned classrooms and even battled with snakes.
And now 500 of şÚÁϳԹϒs long-serving public educators and support staff have been applauded for their resilience, vigilance and dedication through several decades of educational evolution.
Department for Education employees reaching their 30, 40 and 50-year milestones this year were acknowledged for their commitment to thousands of children and young people at the annual 2024 Length of Service ceremony held at the Adelaide Convention Centre on Friday 11 October.
More than 50 of these enduring educators were commended for a remarkable 50 years of service in the event attended by the Minister for Education, Training and Skills Blair Boyer and Department for Education Chief Executive Professor Martin Westwell who said, “our teachers and support staff deserve our utmost admiration and gratitude for the work they do every day”.
“The dedication these people have shown over multiple decades in education is exceptional”.
“Many of these educators have influenced innovation in their schools and helped expand the minds and life opportunities of successive generations of students – leaving a great legacy”, Professor Westwell said.
Those marking the 50-year milestone included 2 current principals - Kangaroo Island Community Education’s Peter Philp and Woodend Primary School’s Steve Freeman – as well as more than 40 teachers, school services officers (SSOs), education program directors and managers from around the state.
Staff recognised at this year’s event have achieved more than 7,820 years of combined service to public education in the state.
Recipients included:
Fiona Anderson from Moonta Area School who has taught in the Yorke Peninsula for 50 years, beginning as a Home Economics teacher at the School of Mines with two wood stoves. Fiona now presides over a high-end commercial kitchen.
Helen Peake who has taught at Murray Bridge High School for her entire 50-year career, following along the path of her two parents who also taught at the school. Helen’s husband also taught at the school. One of her greatest achievements was setting up an international sister school program with Japan’s Funabashi High School which has been running for 26 years.
Natalie Axo who began teaching at Miltaburra Area School on the Eyre Peninsula in its first year in 1984. After much disagreement over the best location for the new school between the locals of Nunjikompita, Wirrulla, Mudamuclka and Haslam, it was built on a paddock next to a cattle farm. Miltaburra Area School opened with 144 students and the motto: “In a field of its own”. Natalie recalls the piece of wire hung outside each classroom used to drive snakes away from the school’s shady alcoves. Now a teacher at Nuriootpa High School, Natalie has chalked up 40-years of service in public education.
Cheryl Bedford from the St Morris Disability Unit who attempted to retire in 2017 but missed her job so much that she returned as a contract teacher in the challenging, but rewarding, field of Special Education and has now reached the 50-year milestone.
Peter Papageorgiou, who is celebrating 40 years, was responsible for introducing an automotive course for girls at Elizabeth City High School from 1990. As part of this program, students restored a very rare 1952 Holden FX utility which is on display at the National Motor Museum in Birdwood.
