We hope you have been enjoying all the interesting stories from the past. Here are a couple more.

The first one is from Judy Summerhayes (Richmond):

I have my TPHS English teacher, Mrs Zurek, to thank for her encouraging words in Fifth Year, which propelled me in the direction of ANU and a career in teaching, which I am still continuing today, in my ‘retirement’.

Most of my 36 teaching (and learning) years was spent in the ACT government and independent systems, from 1967, working with students at senior secondary level in subjects like Economics, Business Management, Legal Studies, Careers and Commerce.  In 1969/70, I also taught English in Germany and returned to this subject after I retired from the ACT schools sector in 2002. Shortly after that, I became involved for three years as a volunteer home tutor and assistant in conversation activities at the Canberra Institute of Technology Migrant English program.  Then, in 2009, I completed a Grad Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and since then have worked part-time as an English tutor to international students in Canberra.

Canberra has been my home since I finished school and I love its change of seasons and the interesting people who live here, not to mention the wonderful cultural institutions and Lake Burley Griffin, on which I dragon-boat once or twice a week with the ACT Dragons Abreast (breast cancer) group. It is such a privilege to be on this beautiful body of water, seeing the city and environs from another perspective.

My husband Tim and I have two children now in their mid 30s and two delightful grandchildren with another imminent!  They add such a dimension to one’s life!  For the last two years I’ve been very happily living about half a kilometre from the family house that was my base during my Telopea years.

I’ve been doing the registrations for the Reunion and as I’ve been delighted to see so many names coming in, I’ve also recalled many events and stories from those schooldays.  I’m sorry that Alex Jesulenko can’t be at the Reunion, as I’d love to chat to him about some aspects of his life before he became such a great footballer.  I remember when Alex used to light little fires in his desk at the back of the classroom when Mr Bradfield, one of the Economics teachers, used unusual teaching methods to teach us some Economics by getting us to sit in a circle at the front of the room.  He would then teach us to sing some old British trade union songs like “Here we go around the vicious circle, wages following prices’!!

I’m really looking forward to seeing everyone in March!

The next BIO is from:

 

Name:              Jim Holland

Age:                 64

Spouse:            Sekai Holland, Co-Minister for National Healing, Reconciliation and Integration

Family:            Two adopted children + two grandchildren

Location:         Harare, Zimbabwe

Work:              System Administrator, Mango (non-profit email service)

Mechanical Engineer (working all over Africa installing, maintaining and training 

staff in relation to Australian condom testing equipment!)

Interests:         Providing support for the 20 children we currently have living with us (orphans, underprivileged and survivors of political violence).

Working on establishment of children's educational centre.

Supporting the democratic process in Zimbabwe.

Please keep those BIOs and photos coming in, and please send in your registrations for the reunion, we are all getting excited as it gets closer! Meeting up again after 50 years will be an amazing experience.

REMEMBER THE EARLIER WARNING: Don't miss out on those earlier BIOs and photos. You only get to see recent ones on this first page. You need to scroll down to the very end of this web page and click on the words "Older Post" at the very bottom right, and keep clicking on "Older Post" until you've read them all!!!