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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2008-11-27 Daily Xml
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GAWLER SCHOOLS

Mr PICCOLO (Light) (17:42): I would like to acknowledge some people in my area, particularly in the area of education. Education has been of interest over the past few weeks in the media. I think that some good things which happen in schools are overlooked and not reported in the media. I take this opportunity to acknowledge a few people and some major events in schools.

I congratulate Helen Sands, the principal of Gawler Primary School, on her retirement. Helen is retiring after almost 40 years in the Education Department as a teacher at many schools and a language and arts adviser and, more recently, as principal of Gawler Primary School. Unfortunately, in the time available to me, I cannot do justice to Helen's career and the contribution she has made. Helen has something in common with the member for Stuart. She came from Scotland with her parents when aged 15. She has not had the opportunity to return there, but she intends to use her retirement to visit family and friends in Scotland.

During her career in education, Helen has had a strong sense of justice and been a hands-on principal and teacher. She loves working with children and has fostered a number of projects, where she has worked alongside 'her children'. She always refers to the students as 'her children'. She is always keen to engage her community and work alongside parents. She has quietly journeyed through her time in the Education Department. Helen has said that she would like to be remembered as a person who cared and made a difference. I have no doubt that she will be warmly remembered by not only the school community but also the whole Gawler community as a person who cared for both her students and people in the community.

This morning I had the pleasure to be a guest speaker at Immanuel Lutheran Primary School at Gawler. A breakfast was arranged for the graduating year 7 class. I congratulate the school for initiating this event because it is part of the right of passage for these students. The idea of the breakfast is to honour the students' contribution to the school and to assist them in their journey to the next stage of their life, that is, secondary education. I thank the school for inviting me. Hopefully, the school will continue with that event.

The third matter is that I would like to take this opportunity to honour a former teacher of mine at Gawler High School, the late John R. Chambers (not to be confused with his father, John H. Chambers). The reason I mention this is that I have had the privilege to be able to initiate an award in honour of John Chambers, the teacher. His widow and family have given me permission to initiate two awards to acknowledge his contribution: the John Chambers Memorial Award for Excellence in the Study of the Humanities and the Ploughshare Award for Effort in the Study of the Humanities.

John Chambers was my economics teacher when I was a student at Gawler High School. John was not only a great teacher but his support enabled me to go on to study at university, and it is no accident that I went on to study economics. With respect to my life in public office, I owe a lot to John's support and mentoring. I believe that teachers can have a major influence on the lives of their students in later life. In the main, they are very positive experiences—and there are some limited examples that are not so positive. However, like many teachers in my life, John certainly had a positive impact on my life.

John started teaching at Gawler High School in 1971, one year prior to my starting as a student in 1972. John started his career as a maths and science teacher but went on later to study economics at Adelaide University. Gawler High School was the first school where John taught economics, and I was one of his first economics students. Both John and I shared a passion for economics. I believe that every student should study economics, because the tools of analysis that you learn help you throughout your life, and an understanding of economics would certainly improve the quality of public debate in our society.

John was not only a great teacher but also a great human being. I was deeply saddened when John died of cancer at the age of 48. I have fond memories not only of John, my teacher, but also of Gawler High School, and the two awards seek to acknowledge the enormous contribution that John made to the school. Tomorrow I will have the chance to present the second award, the Ploughshare Award, in the presence of John's widow, Michelle, and his daughter, Fiona. It will be a privilege for me to be there to do that.

The other matter that I wish to raise, which is a really positive story, is that Gawler could have its first birth to year 12 school by 2012, located on the site of the existing high school. Over the past fortnight, the governing councils of Evanston Primary, Evanston Preschool and Gawler High School have all overwhelmingly voted to support the establishment of a birth to year 12 school on the Gawler High School site. The proposal will now go to a ballot of all parents of the participating schools for their approval.

A key feature of the proposal is the construction of a children's centre on the site, which will provide a range of allied health and education services to children up to the age of eight. The proposal is based on the 'schools within a school' model, which provides improved access to facilities and curriculum for the students within the traditional pastoral care groupings.

I think the school will be a boon for parents. It will offer a one-stop shop for all children within the family. The new school will also have enhanced facilities and services for children with disabilities. Importantly, it is planned that the new school will cater for children of all ages with disabilities. I believe that a single site for children with disabilities will enhance their learning opportunities and make it a little easier for the parents caring for them.

I was delighted to hear that the new birth to year 12 school, if it goes ahead, will provide new and refurbished facilities for the school community. Both Evanston Primary School and Gawler High School (two schools that I attended) and the preschool that my children attended (so, we have a connection with all three) were built in the 1960s and 1970s and require some upgrading. The new school will create a more flexible learning space and the school will be able to respond to changes in the community. I would encourage parents to become involved in the consultation process, which will start from now, and hopefully they will then be in a position to make an informed vote when the time comes.

I have taken this opportunity to raise these few matters because, as I said, it is important to highlight some of the very positive things happening in schools. I also take this moment to thank my family, staff and members of the government and the electorate for assisting me this year, and also members of the opposition. I wish everyone the best for the Christmas period.

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