20 Years Ago

This photo brings back many memories of my formative years in teaching. For three years I headed west away from "civilisation" along the Eyre Highway in my old brown Chrysler Valiant teaching at Miltaburra, the area school in a paddock and Ceduna, where I first experienced teaching in complex and challenging situations that taught me lessons that still resonate with me today.

Attribution:Image: 'Road to Wudinna' by Georgie Sharp www.flickr.com/photos/41894168711@N01/101087497

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5 thoughts on “20 Years Ago

  1. Alex Hayes

    I have exactly the same photo in exactly the nsame location give a GPRS metre or two.

    I hitched hiked around Australia at the age of 17 and met some wierd and wacky folk. I ended up living in Western Australia for 17 years and lived in a commune for two of those years.

    What a wild life we have had.

    Reply
  2. Wara

    Excellent. My first teaching appt was in the Pitjantjatjara Lands. I left there at the end of ’83 so it is a little over 20 years after spending 5 years there.

    Getting used to the idea of teaching was complicated by poor communication (a radio telephone for the entire community and a mail plane twice a week), cultural extremes, initially no classroom (well there were four walls and had to wait some weeks before a roof came along let alone any equipment), substandard living conditions (a caravan of sorts), endless dirt roads (the Stuart Highway was not sealed).

    I still get excited when I hear a small plane thinking that it is the mail plane and their might be something there for me. This period of my life continues to significantly influence my existence, professionally and personally.

    I think I can empathise with your story.

    Reply
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  4. Paula

    I have just stumbled across this site and would you believe that I too can remember Graham rollling into town with his valiant as I was one of his students at Miltaburra

    Reply

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