Farewell to Tintern Schools

I had the last day of my job at Tintern Schools today.  My role as Co-Curricular Administrator was made redundant, so I have had to finish-up after three years.  I have really enjoyed my time at Tintern and feel I have contributed well to the school.


My office at Tintern

My role was to coordinate all the co-curricular activities of the students and ensure they were all staffed and administered properly and then to create the students' Co-Curricular Reports twice a year.






I was also required to organise all the overseas and interstate trips and tours for the school, which included UK/Paris, China and Central Australia.

It was a very busy job, but I still found time and energy to be part of the Staff Association Committee, run a Well Being Club for the middle school students, Yoga Sessions for the staff, a Glee Club and lunchtime Meditation Sessions for the senior school students.

The Tiwi girls, their elders and me
at the MCG on their last night in Melbourne

One of my most satisfying projects in 2011 was to arrange for a hosted one-week visit to Melbourne by ten students from the Tiwi Islands, along with their teachers and elders.  The girls were quite shy and anxious at the beginning of the week, but by the end they were really enjoying their time here and there were some wonderful relationships developed.


It is sad to be leaving Tintern, but I see it as just another very enjoyable chapter in my life and am ready to turn the page and see what comes in the next one.

What A Pleasant Surprise!

Last evening, I came home late from work because of a musical performance, to find a bouquet of flowers had been delivered for me.  To my complete surprise, the school Principal had sent them to me in thanks for the work I put in for the Tiwi Island girls' visit.  Even though I didn't really need any acknowledgement, because I had such a wonderful time with the girls and their elders during the visit, it was so lovely to be shown this appreciation by my boss!

Tiwi Islands Visit Ends

Well, after a long and eventful week, the Tiwi girls flew back home this morning.  Last night we went to the MCG, which they had all heard about and seen on TV, but had never been there in person.  We saw the St Kilda vs Carlton game and the girls couldn't believe the size of the stadium!  It's been one of the most enjoyable projects I've ever had to do and I will have lovely memories of the girls for a long time to come.

Tiwi Islands Visit

Today was a very exciting day, as we welcomed ten students from the Tiwi Islands to Tintern, the school I work at. This has been a pet project of the school Principal's for the past few months, but the whole project has been mine to organise. This morning I was at the airport to welcome them when they arrived on a flight from Darwin and we travelled on a bus to Ringwood. They came with six adults - two Tiwi elders, a Tiwi College staff member and three women from The Smith Family (the organisation which fascilitates these exchanges between remote aboriginal communities and city schools). The girls were introduced to their host families (who they will be staying with) and also to their buddies (who will accompany them during the day), we shared some lunch and then they spent time together learning to use the digital cameras they have been lent for the week and how to upload and edit photos, ready to compile a journal of their time here.