The First 30 Years

The First 30 Years

Adam D Morris

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Author’s note The author would like to thank and acknowledge the many people who generously gave their time to this project and often welcomed the author into their hearts as well as their homes. Whenever a project such as this is undertaken there will never be enough pages to give the much deserved recognition to all who have given substantial parts of their lives to Swan Christian Education Association. This book is but one history of the Association’s journey in bringing Christian education to those who desire it and is by no means the definitive history of that journey. The many stories and sacrifices that have gone unmentioned within these pages hold as much significance as those that have been affirmed, and indeed it is worth remembering that the work and toil which have gone untold here would easily fill the same number of pages many times over.

The First 30 Years Adam D Morris

Acknowledgements Author: Adam Morris Editorial Committee: Martin Bent, Zenda Collett, Syan Dougherty, Peter Ellery, Brian Goodchild, Stephen Lee, Jonathon Myers, Dean Powell, Greg Wells.

Compilation of illustrations: Syan Dougherty.

Cover and book design: Creative Fruition.

Citation and Copyright Morris, A. D. (2012) The First Thirty Years. Swan Christian Education Association Inc., Midland, Western Australia.

Published by Swan Christian Education Association Inc. PO Box 254, Midland, 6936, Western Australia.

Copyright © 2012 by Swan Christian Education Association Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, by any process or technique, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (KJV) are from the King James Bible.

Foreword

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.

2 Corinthians 2:14 (ESV) Swan Christian Education Association is a unique organisation within education and the broader Christian community of Australia. It is one of only a few Christian non-denomination entities that are actively engaged in Christian education and ministry. While many organisations consider this ideal, very few successfully negotiate the historically troubled waters of inter-denominational controversies, doctrinal positions and churchmanship issues that too often keep Christians apart.

The diversity of Christian churches represented with the Association is very broad, and in recently years has also included Christians from catholic and orthodox churches. The focus of the organisation on the elements of the Christian faith which pertain to salvation and its successful avoidance of controversial issues is a testament to the grace of God and the work of the Spirit which has produced the unity the organisation enjoys.

This story of the Association founders working hard with little resources to provide Christian schooling options for parents within the local community is a story that repeats itself over and over again as each new school is established. Sometimes a school is built from scratch – as was the first school – while others are purchased and brought into the SCEA family. The most recent school, Geographe Grammar School, being purchased, rebranded, staffed and re-opened within a few months of hearing of the proposed closure by its past owners, was a repeat of both the vision and passion seen in the Association’s founders and the providence of God. Continually through the book readers will see the provision by God of what was needed to be successful in answering the call to teach children in a Christian faith based school. Whether it be a contact who knows where a cheap demountable can be purchased just when one was needed or the decision of a Government faced with a global financial crisis deciding to invest billions in school infrastructure - the miracles keep coming in the connections between people and in the timing of events. With this sense of the sovereignty of God guiding and providing for the Association, a strategic plan was formed in 2010 to guide the Association into its next stage of development. This plan will see the Association take Christian education beyond the schools it owns - through technology, partnerships, associated schools and projects - to be leaders in Christian education in Western Australia and beyond.

This account of the establishment of the Association is published at a time in its history when new directions are emerging.

It is a book which seeks to acknowledge the dedicated hard work of the founders and builders of SCEA who through prayerful determined effort have laid the foundation stone of the gospel of Christ into the Associations schools. We thank God for those who have sown the seed, and pray to the Lord of the harvest to send more workers. (Luke 10:1-2) Stephen Lee CEO April 2012

Contents

1. The Seed Birth of SCEA; Midland Christian School established ������������������������������������������������3 2. Taking Ground Midland’s first year ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������23 3. Branching Out Swan Christian High School starts ����������������������������������������������������������������������������45 4. Fruition Swan has a home; Kalamunda, Beechboro and Mundaring start ����������������������������57 5. In the Shade Swan matures and Midland moves ��������������������������������������������������������������������������.73 6. Olive Branch Armadale acquired; wins for Beechboro and Mundaring �����������������������������������������89 7. Replanting Ellenbrook established; Geographe gained ������������������������������������������������������������105 8. Gathering Together Epilogue ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������.113 9. The Gardeners 30 years of SCEA leadership �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������117

The Seed

I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’, and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.

Matthew 17:20 (NIV)

1. The Seed The story of Swan Christian Education Association, in its essence, is a story of the provision of God to a highly committed group of faithful believers. The evidence of God’s hand can be seen at nearly every turn throughout the journey of the Association, which has seen incredible changes take place. His hand can be seen particularly in the leaders, staff and parents of the Association as they continuously stepped out in faith time and time again to achieve accomplishments beyond the reasoning or imagination of worldly logic.

The story of Swan Christian Education Association begins with a Christian family in the early 1970s finding inspiration and a compelling sense of duty to provide a Christian school for their own children. It is the story of a mother’s will and determination to start a process which would eventually provide what she thought was necessary for not just her own family but any Christian families living in the Midland area.

This woman was Joan Grosser, a fulltime housewife, mother of three and a hardworking community contributor with a history of donating vast amounts of time and energy into areas of need, be they mission fields in India or volunteering as a parent liaison officer in a small school in a remote country town.

Joan was married to Bill Grosser, a bricklayer and TAFE lecturer living in the Perth suburb of Lynwood. It was Bill’s career that took the couple and their young family around the state, and which served as yet another catalyst for what for what would eventually become SCEA’s first primary school, Midland Christian School.

The idea for Christian based schooling began to take hold in Joan’s mind back in 1970. Bill and Joan Grosser went to visit their friend and then bank accountant Jan Peletier, who was working at the time at the National Australia Bank’s Cannington Branch. Joan credits Jan with planting the initial seed of what eventually became the vision of SCEA. In 1970 the idea of Christian education was not widely recognised or championed in the way it is today and it was Jan who first mentioned to Joan the obligations Christian parents have towards their children’s early life and formative years.

Grant, Bill, Myron. Joan and Ainslie Grosser in the early 1980s.

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personal faith journeys by presenting their entire education through the lens of Christianity. Joan recounts,

Joan recalls the exact words spoken to her by Jan in the Cannington branch when she was discussing with him the issues she was having with the government school which her young son was attending at the time,

“Rehoboth had their values in their DNA, they had the vibrancy of the Christian life.”

Joan Grosser

“It is your responsibility to give your children a Christian education.” Jan Peletier

She was most impressed that they had what she calls, a relational perspective on the world. That is a perspective which had at its core, the significance and importance of a personal relationship with God as well as a personal relationship with one other.

Jan was involved with the Dutch Reformed Church who were, in turn, the founders and pioneers of one of Perth’s very first parent-controlled Christian schools, Rehoboth Primary in Wilson. It was his understanding that Christian schooling should take a place of equal significance in the raising of a child as church and home life. He advised Joan that the values and teachings that were present in both the church and the home should be mirrored and reinforced in the child’s school environment. Both Bill and Joan were certainly challenged by these statements, and although not entirely convinced at the time, it was something which would not leave their thoughts. After much prayer and consideration, Joan decided to get in touch with Ross Patterson, the then Principal of Rehoboth Primary, and invite him to her home to speak to her and Bill and a small gathering of friends and like-minded parents on the subject of Christian education. These other parents were also dissatisfied with the absence of Christian values and teaching within the Western Australian state school system.

In the course of that evening, Ross Patterson was to make a statement that not only fuelled the growing fire stirring in Joan’s heart, but was to make a lasting change in Joan’s entire life, a change that would see her eventually dedicate most of her life to developing and promoting Christian education throughout Australia and abroad. Ross put a simple question to the small gathering of concerned parents,

“Would the Israelites send their children to the Philistines to educate them?” Ross Patterson For Joan it was a question which was both simple and yet extremely powerful. Although it had not previously occurred to her to see the school as an extension of church and home in teaching the values inherent in both; it was becoming

It wasn’t until the Grossers moved to Port Hedland in 1976 that they fully realised just how beneficial the education was that their children were receiving at Rehoboth. Joan remembers the teachers in their children’s new school in Port Hedland noticing a stark difference in her children’s moral understanding as well as their developing Christian worldview, compared to other children who had not had the opportunity to receive a Christian education. After Joan’s three year work placement was complete, the family returned to Perth and this time settled in Middle Swan. With Rehoboth now being too far to travel each day for her youngest son, they were forced to send him to the local state school.

Ross Patterson.

apparent that Christian education was not only a good idea, but also a Christian obligation.

Joan was moved considerably by the presentation, on what was, essentially for her and Bill, a new idea. They proceeded to enrol their children into Rehoboth Primary; and Joan recalls she was then able to see firsthand what the benefits were to her children, as they were now in an environment which was not only conducive to their church and home life, but one which actively encouraged her children in their

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It was at this point in 1981, that Joan’s vision would finally be realised. Where the thoughts and ideas that had been taking firm ground in her thinking for over ten years would now finally manifest into a firm conviction and would lead

to the creation of SCEA. It was a day of industrial action by striking teachers in her son’s government class room, which finally brought the seeds of inspiration growing within Joan to complete fruition. The teachers, seeking better conditions at the school, said they would come to work but would not teach or manage the students in any capacity for the entire day. Parents were instructed to keep their children at home, as the teachers would be present in body only. This was unacceptable to Joan and other parents, who not only took their children to the school that day, but stayed themselves, providing the care and supervision required for their children.

Joan remembers the day clearly and describes it as complete mayhem. Yet it was not until the following afternoon that her disillusionment had reached its limits. She remembers the teachers returning the next school day as if nothing had happened, and fully expecting the children to completely obey and respect them.

Both the Grossers remember the day when Joan returned home and declared to her husband,

“We need a Christian school in Midland and I want to start one.” Joan Grosser Bill Grosser recalls this moment and was well aware that when his wife made such statements they were to be taken seriously,

“If I had made the statement I would have said, ‘this is terrible, somebody should do something about it’; whereas with Joan’s personality, she says, ‘this is terrible, I’m going to do something about it,’ and you just knew she would.”

Bill Grosser

front page of WA’s main newspaper on 29 July 1981.

The The right hand story describes the teachers’ strike that served as a catalyst for Joan Grosser.

Joan was steadfast in her belief even though she knew it would be a massive undertaking, she also knew she had the support of her husband as well as her children. The Grossers remember the family having a meeting where Joan’s new “project” was openly discussed. It could be said that it was at that kitchen table in Midland in 1981 where the first of many sacrifices of SCEA’s proud history were

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enthusiastically made. It was made clear to the children that not only would Joan need their moral support as a family but she would also need their continued efforts in the day to day running of the household. The organisation, that was soon to become Swan Christian Education Association, had gained a champion for its cause, a champion that was abundantly backed by a loving and supportive family. A family which, for the immediate future at least, had to forgo the usual full-time attention of their homemaker, wife and mother.

Encouraged by the support of her family, Joan immediately began the demanding and arduous process of building a school from the ground up. Her initial step was to ask Ross Patterson, who had visited her home many years ago, to come and start a school such as Rehoboth in the Midland area. The Rehoboth Board, although declining to actually set up another campus in Midland, did offer their full support of the project in the way of encouragement, planning and any and all technical advice that was needed. Ross Patterson’s first piece of advice to Joan was to decide which particular type of school it was that she wanted. Once this model was chosen and was clearly defined as the foundation for the future school, he then advised Joan to invite the community into the process, to decide whether they wanted to join the Association and take part in the school’s formation.

Joan decided on the model of Parent Controlled Schools (PCS) which she believed best suited her vision for a school offering Christian education in Midland. The PCS was the model on which Rehoboth had based its campus in Wilson and of which Joan had immediate knowledge, as well as a personal appreciation. This was the winter of 1981 and for the next three months Bill and Joan visited all the churches in the immediate area speaking between or at the end of church services about the proposed primary school. Here they would be found handing out information to prospective parents, as well as testing the levels of interest in the community. What they found were many parents like themselves who shared their disillusionment with the state government system and also shared their hopes to be able to provide their children with a suitable Christian education.

Among these parents was Brian Goodchild, who heard Joan

speak in July of 1981 at the Bellevue Baptist Church. Brian was a public servant working with Landgate and a husband and a father of school-aged children. Brian remembers Joan being extremely enthusiastic and inspired in her proposal and it was a proposal that both Brian and Ruth Goodchild were ripe to receive at that particular moment in their lives. For Brian, the opportunity to send their children to a school which was controlled by parents, which delivered good moral and faith-based teaching, was exactly what he was looking for. Brian felt the day to day teaching of ethics and morals along with better discipline in schools was sorely lacking in the state system. The chief concern for Brian was the ability for parents to choose who it was that would be teaching their children. His interest in this aspect of the Grossers’ proposal was of particular importance.

After visiting and presenting to all the churches in the area and seeing there were indeed enough like-minded parents like Brian Goodchild, Joan went ahead with a public meeting which was held in the historic Midland Town Hall on 17 August1981. From the 50 parents, including Brian, who attended the meeting, 23 children’s names were put forward as possible students if indeed the primary school was to go ahead successfully. Of the interested visitors in the audience that night, there was also a Mr Greg Wells. Greg was both a parent and a local teacher who had been invited to the meeting through a mutual friend of the Grosser’s. He left the meeting that night initially unconvinced of the possibilities of the project; so much so, he intentionally left his name off the visitor’s signing book and left giving the project little chance of success. Greg would, however, unbeknown to himself at the time, become one of SCEA’s longest serving teachers and administrators, playing a vital role in the growth and life of the Association as a whole.

The historic Midland Town Hall, where the Association’s first meeting was held in 1981.

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The 23 names put forward by parents that night were enough for Joan to call another meeting, this time at Swan Christian Fellowship in Middle Swan. This was held one week after the Town Hall meeting, and its purpose was to form a Steering Committee which would serve to direct the formation of the first Christian, parent-controlled school in Midland.

Among the first members of the Steering Committee, along with Joan was a scrap yard owner by the name of Peter Bailey, the above mentioned public servant, Brian Goodchild, and a local pastor, Peter Moyle. After this meeting the committee co-opted other interested members of the community for both their interest and their expertise. Among these were Barry Knowles who brought his vast building knowledge and experience which would be instrumental for the fledgling association, as it literally had to build a school from the ground up, with its members’ bare hands.

Valerie Campbell was also invited a short time later to become part of the committee as well as possibly being one of the school’s first teachers. Valerie was a recent Irish immigrant who, at the time, was looking for work as a teacher in a Christian environment. Unbeknown to Valerie in 1981, or to anyone else, she would arguably become one of the most instrumental players in SCEA’s early history, and would go on to serve Midland Christian School for the next 25 years.

The Steering Committee had the task of turning Joan’s inspiration into a reality. They met frequently over the coming months to discuss, pray and plan the logistics, legalities and oft times near insurmountable obstacles. They would eventually not only create and build a Christian School for the children of Midland, but do so within six months of Joan’s initial proposal at the Midland Town Hall. What makes this achievement all the more remarkable is that the Steering Committee was, for the most part, made up of inexperienced men and women who had little or no understanding of what exactly it was they were attempting to put together. Brian Goodchild counts the accomplishment of the Steering Committee being able to realise Joan’s vision and actually get the school going as quickly as it did, as perhaps SCEA’s greatest achievement in its accomplished history. It was a formidable task which required great faith in the provision of God. In a sense, the Steering Committee’s lack of experience was to be one of their greatest strengths, as what they lacked in knowledge, they made up for in determination, purpose and a reliance on God’s guidance and grace.

The degree to which the Steering Committee members were finding their way through the process is evident in one of their first meetings held in early September 1981, where information handbooks and other literature from the National Union of Christian Parent Controlled Schools were passed around the table to all members. These handbooks and pamphlets, in essence, informed the Committee members exactly what it was that they were setting out to achieve. The Steering Committee did not have their own worldly wisdom to draw on with regard to building a school, only the strength found through God and His leadership and through each other in a unified desire to follow that leadership and serve God to their fullest capacity. When seen in this light, the achievement of the Steering Committee seems less as the blind leading the blind, but rather faithful servants following an even more faithful God. As the members put their faith and trust in Him, they had turned what was their greatest weakness into unstoppable, immoveable and unequalled strength.

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An extract from the Steering Committee meeting minutes from 8 August 1981 describing the members of the committee and the gifts they had to offer the Association.

At the next Committee meeting held on 17 September 1981, the Association had only six definite enrolments for the following year and only four applications for Parent Membership.

There were another prospective 35 children whose parents had expressed strong interest but were yet to make their final decision. The Committee passed a motion that two members from the Steering Committee would make themselves available to any future perspective members wishing to join the Association. The task of drafting a constitution for the Association was given to Ossie Amato. Ossie was an unusual member of the Steering Committee as he had no direct interest with regards to any children eventually going through the school. Ossie was a single man without a family, who worked as an accountant and volunteered his time and expertise simply to serve God and his community. The process of drafting and having the constitution officially recognised by the Western Australian government, would take the best part of three months. Ossie undertook this challenge along with keeping a keen eye on the Association’s small pool of financial resources.

Joan Grosser’s original letter to the Education Department informing them of the SCEA Steering Committee’s intention to start Midland Christian School.

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The Committee at this stage opened a savings account at the Midland branch of the ANZ bank with a cheque book facility available for non-profit organisations. The Committee also established a ‘sliding scale’ model which would determine the school fees for each child based upon the incomes of their family. Parents who were earning at the higher end of the scale, which was above $20,000 a year, would be asked to pay $60 per child per term in school fees, while those earning less than $9,000 a year would be asked for only $30.

At this early stage, the Association was yet to find land suitable to meet their needs and fit their budgetary limitations. However the Committee pressed forward, moving on items of concern such as finding transportable buildings which may be suitable once land was eventually acquired, as well as drafting an advertisement calling for the principal of the prospective school. The Committee saw the appointment of the principal as its highest priority above and beyond the acquisition of property or buildings. A draft wording for the call for a principal was put forward to the Committee,

“Swan Christian Education Association invites applications from committed Christian teachers for the position of the Inaugural Principal of a primary school commencing in 1982. Applicants should have insights into the principles of Christian education and be willing to cooperate in the development of a Christ-centred curriculum.”

The advertisement went out and the Committee gave themselves six weeks to process, interview and appoint an inaugural principal. Other issues were discussed, such as a pamphlet being written on “Sheltering Our Kids from the World” in order to address the benefits of Christian education and counter arguments from some parents who were as yet unconvinced of its importance and necessity.

Smaller issues, such as the uniforms, were discussed, but were, as yet, to be decided upon. Joan Grosser was appointed the trustee of the Association and a request for $60 worth of stationery was put forward and passed. The Committee was indeed dealing in things large and small,

An extract from the beginning of Swan Christian Education Association’s Constitution, which was drafted by Ossie Amato.

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and it was not unusual for these meetings to go well into the night, at times past the midnight hour. The next meeting was scheduled for 8 October 1981 and the meeting, as it had been opened, was closed in prayer.

The following Steering Committee meeting was held at the Bellevue Baptist Church, and the members were again prepared for big and small decisions alike. At this meeting the momentum of the Association surged forward, as not only had the advertisement for the position of principal been posted but the Committee was also to hear good news with regard to land and the acquisition of classrooms themselves.

The Steering Committee were met with a good response from the advertisements placed in The West Australian newspaper, as well as various smaller Christian papers and publications. A total of 15 people had expressed interest in the position, and, of those 15, eight people had forwarded an application. Valerie Campbell recalls the committee’s mantra at the time with regard to finding a leader for the school,

“We will search the country for the best man for the job.”

The original Midland Christian School site.

The number of applications received demonstrated that interest in the Association was strong and the Steering Committee felt it was again God’s providence at work. At this meeting, Vice-chairman Brian Goodchild was given the task of approaching the Schools’ Commission of Australia in order to seek possible federal funding. Brian was well aware that the funding and the impending appointment of a suitable person for the inaugural principal were indeed paramount; but it was now a priority to make a decision on land and buildings. This now became the main focus in order for the Association to deliver a working, fully operational school in time for Term One of the following year.

was more expensive than they had initially expected. The asking price for the lease was $100 a week. The Westrail land which at the time occupied space as part of the historic workshops, had served as the Foundry for the long-standing, but soon to be closed, industrial centre. It was a site, which to some outsiders, appeared to be extraordinarily inappropriate for a new primary school; outsiders who soon voiced their bewildering and pessimistic opinions to members of the Steering Committee themselves.

The attraction of the site for the Steering Committee, although coming in at a slightly higher cost than originally expected, was both the site’s proximity to public transport, as well as the lack of council regulations they would have to meet; as the land was owned by Westrail, most of the council’s requirements were already in place. The Steering Committee had, up until this moment, been aiming to open a school at the beginning of 1982; but were fully aware that, regardless of how hard they worked, they still had to wait patiently for certain things to fall into place in order for this to happen. The vision was to open Midland Christian School for Term One of 1982, and the Committee worked towards that goal regardless of the possibilities of being held up by things outside of their control. Brian Goodchild remembers they were “going for broke” but in the back of everyone’s mind lay the possibility that they may have to open the school later in the year. However, once the Committee agreed to lease the Westrail land, it was this acquisition that then led to the moment, where everyone on the Steering Committee knew that the vision they were attempting to achieve, and the realisation of the deadlines they were trying to meet, were now very real possibilities. Brian recalls with fondness,

Barry Knowles delivered mixed news at this meeting regarding the land needs of the Association. He had indeed sourced some land which would be suitable for their requirements in size and location. It was vacant land being offered by Westrail adjacent to the Midland Railway Workshops in West Midland. However, Barry also reported that the initial offer for leasing the small area from Westrail

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The building plan submitted to the Education Department, showing the site layout of Midland Christian School.

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“When we got this land, we suddenly realised it was possible. . . . . it was an expression of what we all believed, the Lord’s provision in this particular aspect was just fantastic.” Brian Goodchild The appeal the land held was multi-faceted for the Association. First, it was central to the Midland area and, second, the land had limited government regulations that the committee would have to comply with; regulations which could otherwise take months in paperwork, applications, inspections and approvals. This was a potential hurdle the Association was eager to avoid if possible, and the Westrail land provided them with this opportunity. Finally the land was vacant, which meant if transportable buildings could be sourced, the Association would be able to move the buildings directly on to the land. Barry Knowles had sourced a transportable from Kalamunda Shire for the price of $2000. The Committee passed the relevant motions and the Association now had their first classroom and a patch of industrial dirt, filled with metal, broken glass and old bricks to call their own.

The Committee then organised what was to be the first of many community Busy Bees. These would go on to serve in many ways, as the enduring life blood of the small organisation. It was these volunteer work forces that enabled SCEA to grow from the charred remains of an industrial workshop, into a thriving Christian organisation teaching Christ-centred values and principles to the children, and indeed to the families of the Swan surrounds.

Busy bee volunteers burning back weeks to clear the block.

Some of the founding members preparing the block.

The very first Busy Bee was to clear weeds and grass from the vacant block in order to make suitable room available for the transportable building from Kalamunda. These work brigades would continue not just for the next few weeks or months, but would be a feature of parent and community involvement across all of SCEA’s schools. It was these weekends and afternoons given up by ordinary working parents, friends and grandparents that enabled SCEA to truly become a reality. Members of the Steering Committee candidly admit there would simply have been no way of achieving what they achieved, were it not for the help of the volunteers who turned up with pairs of gloves, trays of food, containers of water and, literally, got down on their hands and knees and worked, scraped, chipped and scrubbed to build what would become their children’s school.

Members of the Steering Committee, parents, grandparents and volunteers could be seen sitting on upturned buckets, scrubbing the ash and charcoal stains from the bricks they had unearthed from the dry Midland sand. There were shards and pieces of twisted steel which had to be raked and cleared from the site before any child could set foot on the land. The bricks which were being salvaged were recycled and used by chief bricklayer Bill Grosser and many volunteer labourers to build the toilet block. The toilet block would, in turn, be the only Council regulation the Association was required to meet. When asked of the early days of the Association and the work that was required from staff and parents alike at these frequent Busy Bees, the universal feeling from all those still present in the Association, is one of unity and excitement. It was, for all concerned, a pioneering venture which was fuelled by a passion to serve God and provide the children of the community with the necessary educational environment in order that they too would come to know God and eventually serve Him in their own lives. Joan Grosser recalls

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working side by side with Steering Committee member Peter Moyle, the then pastor of Bassendean Church of Christ, who had, like so many others, come to lend both encouragement and an extra pair of eager hands,

“He was a gentle, perceptive and very wise man, who gave us spiritual insight on many occasions. He was also willing to get his hands dirty and do whatever job needed to be done in building the school. Many a deep and meaningful conversation was had while cleaning bricks.”

Joan Grosser It is worth remembering that the majority of the volunteer work undertaken during this period was not only done in people’s spare time or for just one weekend, but for many weekends up until the school’s opening; but it was also done over the scorching Perth summer months in what is one of the driest and dustiest parts of the Perth metro area. Midland was and remains a long way from the Fremantle Doctor, and the volunteers who toiled under the blazing sun were also treated to one of the fifth hottest summer days on record according to the Bureau of Meteorology. In the shadeless and filthy industrial wastelands of Midland, where the faithful came to give their time and sweat to pull scrap metal and buried bricks from the earth, it was here that a doubtful and somewhat cynical building inspector from the Swan Shire commented wryly to Joan Grosser,

“Joan you have to admit this is a real hick show, you’ll never succeed like this.”

Volunteers helping to build the school fence.

Joan made a mental note at the time that the inspector would be one of the first invited to the opening of the school; and she was determined to demonstrate, along with her fellow believers, just what could be achieved by a small group of devoted parents, family and community members who, although lacking in money, had an excess of community mindedness, a driven, teamwork mentality and a determination to realise the vision to which God had called them.

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Bill and Joan both recall the energy and Christian fellowship of the Busy Bees to be among their fondest memories of the very first year of the Association. Joan describes the time as vibrant and lively, regardless of the tough physical work they were doing. She even remembers a man giving his life to God and becoming a Christian after being involved as a volunteer worker and seeing firsthand the commitment and power of Christians working side by side.

With the enthusiastic workforce labouring hard on the new land, the building site was slowly starting to resemble a school, albeit a very small and unusual one.

Volunteers cleaning second hand bricks in the sun to use for the toilet block.This happened between August 1981 to January 1982.

Volunteers building the toilet block with the cleaned bricks.

Students Rachel Thyer and Christie Matthews walking next to the finsihed toilet block.

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Bill and Joan Grosser Bill and Joan Grosser say that the driving force in their lives is found in a verse from Luke’s Gospel, “To whom much has been given shall much be required,” Luke 12:48.

They are very happy to have not only dreamed many dreams, but to have also seen so many come true through the blood, sweat, tears and prayerful reliance on God for His wisdom and guidance.

It was their belief in Jesus Christ that initially drew them together as teenagers and it is that same belief that continues to bind them, many years later. Bill and Joan consider themselves to be thoroughly blessed in their lives and believe their blessings leave them with a responsibility to help those less fortunate than themselves.

After only eighteen months of marriage, the Grossers took off to India in the mid sixties to become Christian missionaries, a task which they carried out faithfully for the next 3 years. They then returned to Australia in 1969 to begin local church work including youth work, Bill becoming a Church elder as well as overseeing the growth of Lynwood Christian Church until 1975.

“We love life and believe that “retirement is in heaven”, hence when Bill was 70 we put on another set of tyres and now seek to actively serve the Lord with passion until He says “enough is enough” and chooses to take us home!”

The Grossers also initiated the Samaritans’ telephone service for people suffering depression in remote areas of Western Australia. This work was continued with the introduction of scripture to schools in Port Hedland, and they were also the key initiators of Swan Christian Education Association which was officially incorporated in 1982. The Grossers went on to initiate chaplaincy programs throughout metropolitan primary and high schools in Perth and have since become the long-serving National Directors of Growing Families Australia.

The next project for the Grossers is the development of a biblically based parenting program for indigenous people of the Kimberley, a request which was made by community leaders in the area.

This next adventure will be a three-year enterprise beginning in 2012.

Bill and Joan Grosser on their wedding day.

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After the successful appointments, the Committee moved directly to other business needs. Barry Knowles reported the construction of the fence around the school was to be undertaken and another Busy Bee was called for the following Saturday. Ossie Amato was pleased to report that, as at the end of the previous month, the Association now had $1,200 in its Midland account and that the School Commission had committed to aiding the Association in its leasing of both land and buildings. The Association had now grown to 30 Member families with another four awaiting interviews and the school itself was now looking to cater for 47 confirmed students.

The Committee however could not rest as there were still much to be done if they were to be ready for Term One of the following year. The Steering Committee met again at Bellevue Baptist Church on 5 November and it was at this meeting that it could be said that the school took its final steps to truly taking shape and forming its identity; for it was on this night that the Association appointed its first principal.

Joan Grosser opened the meeting and welcomed the new families who were steadily growing in number. Among those new associates were a young couple, David and Alanda Binstead. The Binsteads were excited to be a part of the vision of SCEA, and moved from Perth’s northern suburbs to the hills area to be members of the new school. As the Binsteads were friends of Bill and Joan, they were among the first to hear of the proposed school, and they themselves would go on to play crucial roles for the Association across all its areas of need from the school’s first canteen, to labouring on the building site, as well as administration, both at a board level and in the day to day running of the primary school.

Alanda, in particular, would go on to serve the Association in different capacities for the next thirty years.

On the night of that meeting, Peter Moyle led a devotion to encourage all those present.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Hebrews 12:1 (NIV) The Committee sang Martin Luther’s “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” and Joan Grosser then introduced the two candidates that the Steering Committee were recommending for the position of principal and teacher.

SCEA’s first employees, Valerie Campbell as Principal (not teacher) and Meredith Maunders, a first-year graduate fresh out of teachers’ college, as the primary school’s first teacher, were invited to speak to the members gathered there that night. Brian Gooodchild moved that both women be appointed to their respective positions and, with a

Valerie Campbell surrounded by students in the midst of a school excusrion.

seconding from Barry Knowles and George Turpin, the appointments were agreed.

The Association had now taken a substantial step towards legitimising itself and had done so in alignment with their ground breaking and pioneering spirit by appointing a female principal. An appointment which was not in line with the norm for leadership positions in Western Australia at the time. Indeed Valerie Campbell recalls that upon arriving in Australia in the very early 1980s she was taken aback at the somewhat reticent role that Australian women held in the national workforce. Unlike her home in Northern Ireland or in Manchester, where the Campbells were living before emigrating, the appointment of a woman to a leadership position in any organisation was quite unusual. To make matters even more interesting, Valerie had of course only applied for the position of teacher and it was during her interview that the Steering Committee surprised her by offering her the role of principal. Valerie remembers the night of her interview well. Not only was she asked to take the higher position of principal, she was also asked to stay on a few more hours that night, in order to join the Committee in interviewing the remaining applicants. This way she could have a direct hand in choosing what would now be her own staff.

Inaugural Midland Christian School students Alanna and Keith Campbell in Midland Christian School’s uniform.

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It was also this night when the issue of school uniforms was settled and a school name was chosen by a majority vote taken by all members present. From the suggested names such as Emmanuel, Jirah, Charis, Nathaniel, Alpha and Omega, the more down-to-earth Midland Christian School was selected with a strong majority. It was decided that the school motto should be “Wisdom is of God” - a simple yet powerful declaration of the school’s original vision and purpose suggested by June Sims. The words of this motto have stood the test of time, and still adorn most of the signs, walls and buildings that mark SCEA’s schools and serve as a reminder to its hallowed origins.

It is worth noting here a unique and somewhat unusual suggestion raised at this meeting by an unnamed member.

It is a suggestion which speaks volumes to the dichotomy of concerns that were facing the Steering Committee at the time. It was put to the meeting that members who receive phone calls from the Steering Committee should reimburse the people for the cost of the call. Here was an organisation which was hiring staff, leasing property and constructing buildings, yet was in such a timid financial position that the cost of a phone call had to be raised at a general meeting.

When Brian Goodchild spoke of going for broke, there seemed to be much truth in the sentiment.

The Association was now in a strong position. Midland Christian School had its own land, a good number of students, its first two buildings, as well as a small, yet highly committed, staff. More importantly perhaps, was that it now had a sense of its own identity through the naming of the school, the adoption of the motto, as well as choosing its school colours and dress code. The energy remained high for all concerned, and as the pivotal meeting was called to an end on that Wednesday night in November; those attending would leave well after 11pm, lucky to be home and in bed by midnight.

Although Valerie Campbell was appointed Principal for the following year, she began working unpaid almost immediately in order to prepare for the challenging role she now faced as school leader and chief administrator. Valerie was given the task of liaising with the Western Australian Education Department in order to work out an appropriate balance

between the state’s requirements of an independent school with regard to the teaching syllabus, with the school’s intention to incorporate solid Christian instruction across all subjects. Valerie met with a Mr J Inglis and was encouraged by the support and cooperation offered at the first meeting.

It was also conveyed early to Valerie that, in order for the school to be successful and last beyond its first year, it would be required to pass an audit by the end of Semester One; an audit which would test the school’s ability to be efficiently and effectively run. Valerie was well aware that this in fact would also be an audit on her own ability as Principal and leader; and this would be a constant consideration in her thoughts over the next six months until the day finally arrived.

“Val likes to be organised but not dictatorial; if there were issues with anything, she would confront them and face them down, . . . you take Val on at your own peril and that strength comes from her mother, she’s like an iron fist in a kid glove.” Alan Campbell

As well as meeting with the government sector, Valerie also arranged for herself and her sole staff member, Meredith Maunders, to visit with Ross Patterson at Rehoboth Primary in Wilson, in order to see firsthand the day-to-day operations of a parent controlled Christian primary school. Valerie recalls that the work required of her in these months left her with barely enough time to feel a sense of trepidation regarding her new role as Principal. Although it was a brand new and unexpected challenge, which for many could fill the heart and mind with doubt and unease, Valerie remembers there was simply too much to do and too many things to accomplish, and that there was never any time spare that could be set aside for serious worrying.

All, however, was not going perfectly to expectations as the Committee learnt that the tender for the transportable from Kalamunda had been unsuccessful. Barry Knowles had identified another possibility with regards to the buildings for the school, which was to buy industrial-styled transportables made from steel cladding and wood floors. The cost to buy and install three large rooms (72m²) for classes and a smaller one for Administration, would cost the Association close to $40,000 and would take up to six weeks to be on site and operational. In its usual fashion, the Committee agreed to inspect the proposition further and decided to have a decision made within four days. The Committee was continuously moving forward, being spurred on by the momentum it was itself creating. The water and plumbing plans had been approved for the site; the school sign and perimeter fence had been ordered and would soon be ready for the next eager parent Busy Bee. The Committee had also approved a selection of trees to be planted, some of which stand 30 metres high today.

Valerie’s mother had been a school principal in Northern Ireland between the years of 1951 and 1971, and she was a woman who developed a formidable reputation as a reliable, firm and no nonsense leader - a leader who could be relied on and delivered strong student results consistently across her long career. Valerie admits that although she had little time to doubt her own ability, she did draw on her mother’s example and was determined to make a success of her new appointment. This sense of resolve and fortitude is summed up by Valerie’s husband, Alan, who recalls Valerie growing into her role as school principal. Although Valerie is too modest to mention, Alan remembers that the attributes of character that were required for the position, were present and evident in Valerie before the start of 1982.

Midland Christian School’s sign in front of the school’s first classrooms.

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To balance the sizeable challenges the Steering Committee were facing, they were also receiving continued support in the form of essential services volunteered, as well as donations from local churches and organisations.

The Bellevue Baptist Church presented the Committee with $3,000 in late November, a sum which was beyond generous, and which was deeply appreciated by Committee members and parents alike. The Committee decided to hold a welcoming day barbeque and picnic for students, parents and members in order for some fellowship and community to develop between everyone involved in the Association. The Busy Bees had of course already established this tradition, however it was deemed important that the small community of Christians meet at least once across a picnic blanket and not exclusively on a building site. David Binstead was asked to organise the picnic and it was decided to be held at Jacoby Park in Mundaring, two weeks before Christmas Day. The picnic was held in the surrounds of Mundaring National Park as planned. Val Campbell recalls it was a very enjoyable day with over 40 people attending to meet both the new staff as well as the other parents who were now in the Association.

The Steering Committee now had to finalise its decision making with regard to the buildings for the class room and administration. They also had to find either the cash themselves to pay for the buildings, or collateral to put towards a bank loan. The rapid growth and continued progress of the Association was starkly different to the outlook of its mentor school, Rehoboth. Brian Goodchild recalls that the Steering Committee acted very swiftly and took considerable risks compared to the very conservative growth of the Reformed primary school. The Steering Committee achieved things in months which took decades for Rehoboth’s equivalent body. Brian states that in hindsight the Steering Committee may have moved too quickly on some issues and some more planning or patience may have been of value to the growth of the Association. Likewise Joan Grosser also believes that they had not followed Ross Patterson’s advice of first being completely unified before inviting the community to join as members. In this sense as the Steering Committee surged forward, there was some

Some of Midland Christian School’s first students enjoying the picnic with their families and future teachers.

apprehension that important elements of the original vision were, perhaps, not being given suitable attention. For some members, this tension between the founding vision of Midland Christian and the economic realities of running a sustainable school would be an ongoing concern.

The Committee was still at this stage interviewing parents for membership. On 17 December 1981 the Committee was to receive some welcome news which would be seen as another example of God’s provision for the fledgling Association. Peter Bailey had found seven transportable buildings which were being replaced at Charles Gairdner

Hospital in Nedlands. The market value at the time for one of these buildings was approximately $8,000. Peter lodged a tender for all seven buildings, with the stipulation they would all be removed before Christmas, for $10,000. Incredibly the tender was accepted and the Association now had more buildings than it had initially required for considerably less money than it was prepared to spend. To make matters all the more remarkable, the Committee would go on to sell one of the buildings for $7,500 which would not only pay for the entire cost of transporting the buildings to the school site, but also provide a surplus amount of money, indeed just enough to pay for the school fence.

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The Committee was then visited by Frank O’Sullivan, the then District Superintendent for the Education Department.

He stated that he would visit the school six weeks after its first day the following year, and would visit again with an assistant in a further six weeks in order to carry out the Efficiency Audit. Valerie Campbell recalls Frank as a pleasant and helpful man and remembers reminding herself that, at the time, passing the audit would chiefly be her responsibility.

The Committee had tremendous confidence in Valerie to achieve this first formal test of the school. So much so, Valerie remembers, that the Committee seemed to treat the audit as a mere formality; at times perhaps underestimating just how thorough the audit would be, as well as the lengths to which Valerie and her staff would have to go in order for the school to be in full compliance.

The Steering Committee had so far achieved great things in such a short period of time. There were of course still some very important items which still needed addressing.

The lease on the land with Westrail was still to be finalised, members of the Committee began to think of auxiliary staff needs, such as a groundsman to tend to the landscaping and maintenance, as well as a suitable on-site librarian to work regularly with the children. There were Busy Bee’s still underway in the lead up to Christmas in order to clean bricks, erect the fence and plant the many trees that would eventually adorn the school grounds. The Committee at this stage also faced a very local protest from an elderly Italian man who lived across the road from the school site.

It was reported that the lively gentlemen had approached Bill Grosser and informed him in no uncertain Italian terms, that should a toilet block be built opposite his house, he would, in order to stop the possible flow of sewerage into his lounge room, place dynamite in the offending building and blow the bricks back to into Midland sand. Bill somehow persuaded the gentlemen this was not a course of action which would benefit anyone involved, and for the moment the elderly man returned to his house, keeping a watchful eye on proceedings. Unknown to Bill at the time, the toilet block would eventually have a mural depicting the Genesis story of Noah’s Ark, painted on by a local artist and students from the school, and the finished work would see the fiery elderly

Students in front of the Noah’s Ark mural decorating the school’s toilets.

gentlemen visit again in the coming year but under much more congratulatory circumstances.

One week before Christmas, the Committee met for the last time in 1981. All eight members were in attendance, and many were looking forward to the small break they would enjoy over the coming two weeks. The past few months had indeed been gruelling, both mentally and physically, for the members of the Steering Committee. It is important to

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remember that, as well as being volunteers in every capacity, most of the members had full-time commitments either through employment, family responsibilities or indeed both.

It is also noteworthy to mention that, as well as donating their time, many members of the Steering Committee as well as many parent members also donated their professional services along with their tools and equipment, with the likes of George Turpin using the family van as a workman’s ute and Peter Bailey donating his earth-moving equipment to

excavate boulders from the vacant block, or rather, as Bill Grosser remembers, simply bury them further in if they refused to come out.

There were many Busy Bees scheduled for the hot months of January and February, and the work on the ground would include landscaping, fencing, finishing the toilet block, as well as watering by hand the new saplings that were planted without any reticulation. The countdown was now on and, after the short Christmas break, the Committee would have five busy weeks to bring everything together. Just how hard some of the members were working would be evident at a meeting in late January, literally days before the new school would open. Both Peter Bailey and Barry Knowles reported they would require a short break from the demanding physical labour they had put in to get the school ready for its first day. In true form they both requested this break start after the school officially opened.

Other items that needed to be taken care of were school books for the children. One of the difficulties Val Campbell remembers facing was that there would be many different aged children in the one classroom. With the efficiency audit in the back of her mind, she knew she would have to address this issue head on, in order to make sure she was properly prepared to teach successfully in such a challenging environment. From her previous work as a relief teacher, Valerie was aware of the Scott-Forceman texts, which were sets of books from an American educational publisher, which catered exactly for Midland Christian School’s unique circumstances, in that the levels for each child’s age were clearly defined and could be taught simultaneously in a mixed classroom. Valerie also remembers a light-hearted decree being issued at the time, that on account of her thick Northern Irish brogue she would not be allowed to teach her own peculiar version of phonics to the Australian children.

Valerie Campbell’s original, hand-written lesson plan that she prepared for the 1982 school year.

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When the Committee met again, this time in late January, it was the last time it would do so before the school started, and there were still many things yet to be finalised; although by now most were minor concerns. The lease with Westrail still required slight amendments.

The school magazine, which was used to inform parents and children alike of the vision and purpose of Christian education, had run into distribution problems and had been delivered late to many parents. With the success of the landscaping of the school grounds, the Committee now had to buy a lawnmower, as well as finally employ a part-time groundsman. The Committee was lucky to hire the services of Max Jeffries for the princely sum of $4 an hour for 16 hours a week. The Committee also had more good fortune as they agreed and were successful in selling another of the surplus transportables from Peter Bailey’s winning tender.

These new found funds would enable the Association to pay for a driveway at the school, as well as carpenters to assist George Turpin, along with his “convict labour force”, in building verandas around each of the classrooms. George was involved in mentoring newly released prisoners on their work placements, and proudly recalls working side by side with many of these men preparing Midland Christian School for its first year. The plumbing on the site was not yet completed, the classroom for the youngest students still needed carpet, the school sign had yet to materialise and the paved areas were yet to be sealed. There were also no curtains on some of the buildings, and a piano was still required for the music lessons. For some, the circumstances were an auspicious start for the first school day and were taken in stride, for others the close call of being ready was a little too close for comfort.

The last meeting in late January came to a close in prayer and thanksgiving to God, and the Committee members knew that the next time they faced each other around the same table, they would be doing so with the idea of a parent controlled Christian school now a genuine, working reality.

TOP: The finishing touches are about to be made on one of the classrooms as Meredith Maunders looks on.

RIGHT: The exterior of the classrooms, ready for students to arrive.

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Taking Ground For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.

Matthew 18:20 (NIV)

2. Taking Ground The impact of the first year of Midland Christian School was indeed great for its foundation principal Valerie Campbell.

Although only applying for the position of class room teacher, Valerie was not only selected to be the first principal in the Association’s history, but would also go on to be one of the longest serving principals. When Valerie finally left the Association, she had worked as the primary school leader for over twenty years. Valerie, now semi-retired in 2011, works as both a student teacher supervisor and occasional relief principal. She recalls from memory not only the challenges of that first year with vivid recollection, but can also reel off a near complete list of children who made up her first class.

This impressive recall suggests a level of commitment and personal investment which was common in those who were involved in the early years of the Association. By the start of the 1982 school year, Valerie had prepared well for the year ahead. Part of that preparation was an appropriate self awareness and an understanding that there would be many challenges she would have to face before the year’s end.

The immediate challenge for Valerie came on 4 February, which was the opening day of school, when parents would officially enrol their children. Valerie remembers that on that particular day the Midland sun was burning particularly fiercely and was an unwelcome addition to the first day nerves she was already experiencing. Valerie wasn’t sure to what extent the heat and sun were affecting her until mid-way through introducing herself to new parents, Veronica Astridge, the volunteer administration lady, unexpectedly tipped a large bucket of cold water over her head. Veronica could see Valerie was close to fainting and Valerie subsequently spent the remainder of the morning in a dripping dress, shaking hands and welcoming children to this new and curious school. By the end of the first day, Valerie had dried off and a total of 58 children were officially enrolled at Midland Christian School.

Classes started almost immediately. For some children, this was their very first school experience; for others, who had transferred from government schools, it was at

An article in a local newspaper discussing the opening of Midland Christian School.

times like entering another world. The children of that first year would later reminisce about the “archaeological digs” that were undertaken at lunch times, as the history of the Midland Railways and the accompanying Foundry constantly offered up parts and pieces of their histories, mainly in the form of small, unidentified pieces of obsolete machinery. The classrooms were no less memorable

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as the hot, cramped rooms with low ceilings and no air conditioning made for demanding conditions for both students and teachers. Valerie remembers with tempered nostalgia that lessons were regularly interrupted and brought to a halt as the class waited for the recurring and ever punctual trains to blow past the school.

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While the Steering Committee was making way for the new Board, and Bill and Joan were taking steps to acquire the strongest possible leader, Valerie Campbell was steadily and confidently growing into her new responsibilities as school principal. Her new found confidence was, however, the product of stringent focus and absolute dedication to her position. Alan Campbell recalls that Valerie took every function of her new job very seriously and nothing was left to chance or taken lightly. He remembers Valerie’s serious concern over the exact wording and content of the school’s first newsletter. It would be Valerie’s first written public statement, which she felt would begin the communication between her and the parents, as well as set the tone for the nature and culture of the new school. Alan recalls the effort that Valerie put in to her first public declaration,

The growl and rumble of their diesel engines bellowing through the thin-walled demountables, made Valerie’s Irish accent all the more impenetrable to the little ears of her distracted class.

As the children and staff alike settled in to the new school, the Steering Committee was busy organising other aspects of the Association. With the task of getting the school operational now almost complete, the Steering Committee would have to make way for a Board, which was appointed by the Association’s members, which would now take control of proceedings and set the direction of the school. The first person appointed Chairman of the Association’s Board was Fred Styants. Fred eventually served the Association for over ten years as a Board member as well as inaugural Chairman.

Fred was seen as a compassionate and godly man, who generously gave his full effort, in order to honour the original vision for the school.

Bill Grosser recalls the moment when he and Joan were discussing forming the Board, now that the Steering Committee had completed the task of bringing the vision to life. Bill and Joan were standing on the site of the primary school, during yet another Busy Bee, and Bill remembers his wife saying that she believed a man would be the preferred option in order to placate some of the parent members who were from particular denominations, where the role of women in leadership positions did not sit comfortably.

Although the school was initiated by a woman and also now run by a woman, there was still a sufficient question of appropriateness amongst some members, and it was this perspective that Joan felt should be considered when appointing a chairman. It is yet another example in the early years of the Association, where the pioneers were able to work together through even fairly strong differences such as these. Joan also remembers the day well, and notes that Fred Styants was on the far side of the school working on the new fence, and both she and Bill knew he had the personality required of the challenging role.

“I remember the day, we stood on one side of the school and we were talking about it and we both

“She spent more time on that newsletter than it would take to write a novel.” Alan Campbell From the newsletter: Midland Christian School’s first three teachers: Ron Bartlett, Valerie Campbell and Meredith Maunders (now Croot).

agreed that the man should be Fred Styants ... we walked across together and we said to Fred where our heart was, and asked him to consider the position.” Joan Grosser Joan says there was a godliness and humbleness to Fred Styants which actually radiated out of the man and made him perfect for the position. Fred did indeed prove to be a very capable chairman throughout his time on the Board. Joan remembers Fred was “blown away” when asked if he would take on the role. And it was exactly that kind of humility and sincerity that the Grossers saw clearly in their first choice,

“We needed someone with Fred’s steadiness and kindness, and also someone who had the ability to be firm when needed.” Bill Grosser

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“And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bring forth his fruit in his season”.

Psalm 1:3 (KJV) These words from the first Psalm were the inspiration for the larger view of the work that was being done by Valerie and her staff. Below is an excerpt from that first newsletter which shows a reflective as well as faithful author.

“To a tiny ant in the field, the waving grasses must appear like towering forest trees. To us, these same grasses are something that we can brush aside, tread upon or cut down without much effort. So, too, the things which to you and I are apparently so overwhelming, can be thrust aside by our God with the greatest of ease. This has been very clear to me over the past few weeks.

Every path we walked, the Lord seemed to have stepped there before us to prepare the way.”

Valerie Campbell

incorporated throughout all the lesson plans, from the Biblical Studies on Genesis and Job through to Comprehension and Mathematics. When questioned on the unusual choice of theme, Valerie insists it was not tempting fate in view of the condition of the school, but rather a fitting topic which was both broad in its scope as well as plying the students with an appreciation of strength and success in the face of adversity, particularly when the strength is born from faith in God. Valerie admits there were some parents who were a little dissatisfied with the portion of school time that was set aside for actual Bible study. The words of Ross Patterson once again echoed with his forewarning of first establishing what the school was about before inviting members to join. This advice was offered in order to avoid confusion or misleading expectations developing from parents of different backgrounds. Some parents who had joined the Association had expected a complete saturation of biblical teaching throughout the entire school day, a school day, where the main text book was the Bible and children would spend their time poring over biblical history, ancient Greek and memorising the catechism.

LEFT: The front page of the first newsletter. RIGHT: A copy of the curriculum followed by Valerie Campbell for her senior primary class at Midland Christian School in 1982.

The newsletter was also packed with information for students and parents. As well as containing elements of Valerie’s broader vision and grander scale concerns, it was also used to inform parents of the logistics of the day to day operations of the school. There was a brief history of what had been undertaken by all those involved over the past few months to bring the school to life, a rundown of the timetables for the children, a call for canteen volunteers, an invitation to the

Official Opening Day to be held later in the year, the details and purchasing point of the schools brand new uniform, book and stationery lists for the children, fee responsibilities for the parents, as well as the unusual inclusion of a complete list of every member’s phone number and home address.

Valerie recalls that the theme the school had chosen to work with through Term One was “Disasters” and it was

This view was not held by parents alone, indeed Joan Grosser herself admits that the original vision of the Association had to be compromised quite early in order to fit into the guidelines and requirements of the state government. Valerie recalls that the teaching load was approximately half secular and half biblical, with the balance tipping slightly towards the secular. Valerie describes the first year as an intense process where both she and the school were forming their respective identities. There were many concerns to consider for Valerie as school principal, both on a daily basis as well as regarding the longer-term view of the school as it developed its character. Valerie remembers being, at times, quite frustrated at the lack of clarity and understanding she herself had about her new role, particularly with regards to being a Christian educator.

She recalls wanting someone to simply tell her “how to do it”. The Board was, from the beginning, very supportive of the school staff and sent Valerie to professional development courses where she could gain a clearer and more pragmatic understanding of her new position. Slowly

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but surely over the course of that first year, through faith and firm determination, Valerie began to sit more comfortably within her role. The key for her was the understanding that she had to bring her Christian perspective into the school in everything that she did. The questions Valerie would ask herself when evaluating her success were “What are we honouring? What are we promoting? What is the culture that is developing?” Valerie later completed a Masters degree in Christian Education as a formal seal on what has been, and continues to be, a lifelong professional investigation.

The Steering Committee met for the last time in early March. They were debating whether to sell the last of the remaining transportables. Five were scheduled to be laid on their foundations at the school site before the following month’s efficiency audit by the Superintendent. Peter Bailey expressed his concern that the Association may do well to hold on to the last transportable as they may need it the following year for the newly considered high school classroom. The group gave themselves until the end of the month to make a decision. This was the first time that any notion of a high school was raised as a formal proposition, and the Committee was taking it seriously enough to hold off selling its hitherto, superfluous assets.

As well as looking after the logistics of the primary school, such as resurfacing the rough and rocky quadrangle or calling for a school bell to be made by one of the members, the Committee also took very seriously their input and responsibilities regarding the character and culture of the school and its place in the local Christian community. It was agreed by the Steering Committee members that as there was insufficient knowledge of the function and purpose of the school, it was decided that members would again visit local churches to rectify the issue. The coming Opening Day, which was now nearing, would also be a time where the purpose of the school could be re-emphasised to the community.

following year. It was simply another developing challenge, along with the coming audit, the Easter celebrations and the first school musical. The musical was being taught and rehearsed by Valerie who also played the school’s brand new, second hand piano.

With student enrolments now at 64 children and with some applicant members having to be turned away, it was becoming clear to Valerie Campbell that the school was growing and would continue to do so. Valerie and the Board had already begun making plans for new teachers for the

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LEFT: Meredith Maunder’s class preparing to enter the classroom.

TOP: Ron Bartlett’s class lining up to enter their classroom in the morning.

ABOVE: Students Shannon Skennerton and Kathryn Coe getting involved during class.

LEFT: Claire Astridge, Neale Price and Myron Grosser play the recorder as taught in their music class.

RIGHT: One of the classrooms surrounded by gardens planted by volunteers the year before.

LEFT: Teachers’ and parents’ cars parked out the front of the school.

RIGHT: Students Neale Price and Kathryn Coe stand proudly in front of Midland Christian School’s sign.

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Alan and Valarie Campbell Alan and Valerie Campbell were immigrants to Australia who arrived in Perth in May 1981 from Manchester, England. At the time Valarie was trained as a classroom teacher and Alan had a career in information technology. Alan Campbell believed at the time that God was calling him to move to Australia, although the exact purpose was unclear. Upon arrival Valerie immediately began applying to Christian schools for a teaching position while Alan began the process of settling the family into their new lives, a family which included two children and a welltravelled golden retriever.

Alan became aware, through the elders of the North Balga Christian Fellowship, that there was a new organisation which may be forming the following year, which Valerie may be interested in.

“We believed that various people from various places were being called to form what eventually became Swan Christian Education Association.”

TOP: Valerie and Alan Campbell.

BOTTOM: Valerie and Alan with their children, Keith and Alanna.

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Valerie would become the first principal appointed

by Swan Christian Education Association and would serve for more than 25 years, and is known by all who remember her, as one of the Association’s much loved and most respected teachers and school leaders. Alan likewise would become an official part of the Association a short time after Valerie and would lead SCEA through its humble beginnings of a single school by the railway tracks to what it is today. For many people, Alan provided the vision as well as the leadership which enabled Swan Christian Education Association, to take its place among the premier education organisations in Australia.

As this was taking place at Midland Christian School, preparations for an Easter of a different kind were taking place in a community kindergarten further up the hills in Kalamunda. Greg Wells’ eldest son was attending this school and was beginning to run into difficulties as the children were painting eggs, wearing rabbit ears and planning the obligatory secular treasure hunt. Greg’s son found himself taken aside by his kindergarten teacher and asked to stop telling the other children that the Easter Bunny was not real, as in doing so he was ruining the occasion for his class mates. The young boy found himself similarly chastised later in the year as the class prepared for the Christmas holidays.

Greg, who was rising quite well in the Education Department, was looking at the prospect of being made principal at a school in the state’s Wheatbelt by taking a special promotion position created for him to transfer to the school. This was an opportunity not to be taken lightly by a young high school teacher in Kalamunda. The opportunity would allow him, after

a few years spent in the countryside, to move back to Perth, should he desire, and work for the remainder of his career as a metropolitan principal for the Education Department. He did, however, notice the challenges faced by his very young son at such an early stage in his schooling life. What made matters worse, is that the chastisement and discouragement were not coming from the other children, but from the teachers themselves. Greg now had to face the growing concern regarding the conflict for his son’s faith at school, and it was around this time that he began to revaluate the opinion he had held about Midland Christian School, which he now knew had started successfully.

Greg was a part of the Science Department at Kalamunda High School and was working with two teachers called Graham Baker and Martin Thyer. Although it was unclear in 1982, all three of these men would go on to play significant roles in the Association in the years to come. Indeed, like Greg, Martin Thyer, in particular, would prove to be a valued staff member for nearly thirty years.

On 1 April 1982 the first meeting of the Association’s Board met in the small Administration building on the school site.

Members present were Joan Grosser who opened the meeting in prayer, Valerie Campbell, Jenny Skinnerton, Chairman Fred Styans, Brian Goodchild, Peter Bailey and accountant Ossie Amato. The Board faced some serious challenges at their first meeting. They were running out of money. They had, with leases, wages, loans and other regular running costs of the school, a monthly outgoing bill of $5,000. Unfortunately the income coming into the school was a mere $1,700 per month.

The Board were well aware of what they were up against, and agreed to progressively pray and prepare for the serious challenge ahead of keeping the school afloat.

Greg Wells as a young teacher, leading students on an excursion.

As the finances threatened the very life of the school, it was still business as usual as far as the children were concerned, and they were about to enjoy their official Opening Day. The program for the occasion was set out and would include an official ceremony welcoming all visitors.

Ross Patterson from Rehoboth Primary School was invited to open in prayer; there would be talks from children as well as teachers; and a short presentation on Christian

The flagpole on the edge of the quadrangle, proudly flying the Midland Christian School flag.

Education and what the school was hoping to achieve.

Also Tom Herzfeld MLA was to officially declare the school open and donate an Australian flag, which was to be run up the flagpole in the garden on the edge of the quadrangle.

The Board agreed that one of their first priorities before the day would be to erect a flagpole in the garden on the edge of the quadrangle. The day was also seen as a key opportunity to promote the school to families not yet part of the Association. Over 500 invitations were sent out.

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It is worth noting here the extent to which the Board was preoccupied with a diverse range of issues, large and small, from bathroom mirrors in the toilet block to actual financial ruin; so much so that the Efficiency Audit, which was to take place three days later, would not be mentioned once at this first meeting. This gives credence to what Valerie Campbell had previously reasoned; that the Board may have taken that particular part of the school’s legitimisation as more of a formality, rather than something in which they needed to take an active part. This position taken by the Board could perhaps also be seen as a testament to the confidence they had in their new young leader.

Valerie describes this particular time in the first year as horrendously tough. She was fully aware of the pressure that was on her and her staff in order to pass this very important inspection. The school had to pass the Efficiency Audit to be formally registered as a school, which in turn meant being eligible for government funding and grant money.

Valerie recalls being aware that they were carrying the expectations of both parents as well as staff, who had really given everything, including their own money, into the school before it had even existed. A lot of people put a considerable amount on the line for the school to come into being, and Valerie did not want to let any of them down.

The day dawned when the District Superintendent Frank O’Sullivan arrived with an assistant to carry out the day-long inspection of the new school. Even 30 years from the day, Valerie remembers it very clearly. She recalls that Frank came across as a kind and easy person to communicate with, and he spent the day in Valerie’s classroom observing the lessons and examining programs that had been planned for the Year Five, Six and Seven children. He then interviewed Valerie posing a series of hypothetical questions which she was required to answer in order to demonstrate she could both maintain control over the school as it stood today, as well as how it may possibly be under different circumstances. Frank understood the effort required by the staff and principal to successfully start and run a new school; and Valerie was grateful to have someone of his manner conducting the audit.

“He seemed to understand the kind of pressure you were under and made you feel as comfortable as possible.” Val Campbell Meredith Maunders it seems was not so lucky in her classroom, as Frank’s assistant proved to be a rather negative and trying assessor, who Val believes nitpicked her way through the early childhood component of the audit.

TOP: Midland Christian School’s official opening and dedication service invitation. Over 500 were sent out.

BOTTOM: Midland Christian School’s official Opening and Dedication Service programme. The logo was hand drawn by June Sims

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Midland Christian School’s Official Opening Ceremony

ABOVE: SCEA Board members standing top left; heads bowed in prayer.

BELOW: Val Campbell and Bill Grosser address the crowd.

ABOVE: Val Campbell, top left in red, plays the piano as the children of Midland Christian School perform for the crowd.

BELOW: The students of the school sit together throughout the ceremony.

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Evidence of both the stringent scrutiny, and the pressure felt

by Meredith, herself in her first year out of Teacher’s College, was made clear when Valerie came to her classroom after the assessors had left, only to find Meredith in tears and visibly upset.

The report of the Audit would not reach the school until a few weeks later - towards the end of April. Valerie remembers that the wait was surprisingly not an anxious one, as there was nothing more that could be done to influence the decision, as well as there being, yet again, much still to be done in order to keep the school running. Valerie is also quick to recognise the assistance of the parents in passing the Audit as well as making the day to day operations of the school possible. At that time, the school had no library and no librarian, and Valerie was only too aware that this was an intrinsic part of any child’s education, be it Christian or otherwise. Valerie therefore arranged regular visits to the Midland Library, which was a short walk from the school site, but which, nevertheless, required the regular help of parents to assist in walking the children to and from the school on their allotted library days. This was just another of the many requirements asked of parents which included the time and labour for the continuing Busy Bees, the canteen service at the school, the uniform design and manufacture, as well as many more functions which the school could not possibly provide if it were to rely on paid professional services. Indeed Alan Campbell, who featured significantly in the early life of the Association as its General Secretary and Chief Executive Officer for over 20 years, as well as arguably being the architect of the Association’s eventual growth and size, freely states that the story of the first year of the Association was undoubtedly a story of parents.

Valerie was not the only person in the Association adjusting to their new role. Joan Grosser also learnt in that first year the delicate nature of the principal’s position with regard to meeting the needs of the school, as well as liaising with parents and satisfying their many cares and concerns.

This was doubly problematic in a school which required the complete cooperation of the parents in order to meet their day to day needs. In a school assembly, which was held

in Valerie’s classroom, Valerie had put forward what she calls an ‘assertive invitation’ for parents to volunteer at the school, in particular with regard to the above mentioned library excursions. Part of the Efficiency Audit’s requirements was for the school to provide resources and literature for the children; a luxury the Association could not afford. Valerie’s solution was that the visits to the local Library needed help on a regular basis from parents as she could not take all three years levels by herself.

In the cramped condition of Valerie’s classroom, standing shoulder to shoulder in a small crowd, one parent in particular took umbrage at Valerie’s firm and assertive tone, particularly the suggestion of the possible closure of the school due to parent inaction. The parent in question approached Joan Grosser to voice their complaint; and Joan, in turn, took the matter to Valerie at a later date, instructing her to tread more carefully in such circumstances in the future. Valerie recalls that she and Joan had to work out then and there who was responsible for running the school and equally who would be responsible should the school not meet the requirements of the Education Department. It was then decided between these two formidable leaders, the visionary and the pioneer, that, in future, Joan would direct any people with complaints or concerns on the operation of the school directly to Valerie herself. Valerie remembers the moment as being a decisive part of her journey in gaining complete confidence as the school’s leader and likewise acknowledges Joan’s good grace in ensuring that the position of the principal would not be undermined in the future.

Many members of the Association, who have experienced the majority of its life, look back on the organisation’s history, particularly its early formative years and state that there was some considerable stress and indeed heart ache among the team, which was mainly due to the inexperience of all concerned. Alan Campbell states emphatically that no-one was a part of the Association or Board due to their expertise in management or because they were highly successful in business or other aspects of the community. Status or experience really had nothing to do with the appointments made. The people who were involved were involved because

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An advert in the MCS school newsletter asking for busy bee help.

they were committed and passionate about Christian education. Indeed, apart from a small number of expert volunteers such as accountant Ossie Amato who handled the Association’s finances or men like Bill Grosser and Peter Bailey who managed the building projects, the majority of the team were chosen for their dedication and enthusiasm, not necessarily their skill set. Many members look back over their time with SCEA and agree that this state was both a blessing and a challenge, in that it meant many could be relied upon to do what was required, but it also meant at times, matters of serious importance concerning member’s careers and indeed sometimes personal relationships, suffered as a result of naïveté and inexperience. These were part of the growing pains of the Association, some of which would creak and moan throughout its lifetime and some of which would continue to be a source of regret for those involved many years later.

The new Board would meet again in Alan and Valerie’s home on 13 May after both the Opening Day and the results of the Review by the Education Department had been received.

Again the issues to be considered were both big and small.

The maintenance of the quadrangle was now be pushed to the end of the year to allow the Association more time

Maintenance of the quadrangle, left, was postponed until the end of 1982 so that it could be properly financed.

to properly finance the upgrade, as well as the work being better suited to the hotter weather. The Board was also forced to warn certain parents that, should their school fees continue to go unpaid, their children would not be allowed to attend the school the following term. The Board was, in a very real way, dealing with the balance of providing Christian education as well as meeting the requirements of the balance sheet.

In 1982, Midland Christian School operated a three-term year which meant that, although the Board was meeting in the middle of May, the following term would actually be the school’s second. Valerie was delighted to report that not only was Term One by all accounts a success, but also that Frank O’Sullivan, the District Superintendent, had passed the school with regards to the Efficiency Audit and the school was now to receive its first allotment of much-needed government funding. Not only was the Association at present limited to buying books using donated money as it was received, but even stocks of basic stationery such as blank paper had been exhausted in the first term. An anonymous church had sent the Association $9,000 as a no interest loan, which, after debts being paid and obligations met, meant the Association now had a grand total of $8,600 in its account.

This allowed the Association to cover only the next three weeks of its running costs and all members of the Board present were eagerly anticipating the government cash injection, which would total nearly $70,000.

The final Efficiency Inspection was carried out on the 18 June 1982 and was a success. This is the letter of the school’s official registration from the Education Department.

The inspection report from the school’s first efficiency audit on 23 April 1982.

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The issue of the proposed high school was raised at the meeting and again shows the faith and determination of a Board, who at that time were unable to afford a surplus of writing paper, but who were happy to trust in God’s guidance to open a fully operational high school. This, arguably, was another prime example of when inexperience and naiveté were assets to the Association. Alan Campbell, who figured prominently in the forming of the eventual Swan Christian High School recalls,

“It was madness; if you knew what you were doing, you wouldn’t do it.”

Alan Campbell The School Canteen was now operating once a week on Monday and led by Alanda Binstead.

Alanda recalls the menu that she and three rostered volunteer mums provided for the children in that first year. Simple food such as ham and cheese sandwiches, ham and salad rolls and tomato and cheese toasties were all done without even a refrigerator in the Domestic Science area of the school. Alanda would perform this role as a volunteer until 1984 when she began

working in administration for the school. Eventually the days in the office overtook the days in the canteen, and Alanda worked full time for the Association for more than 25 years.

As well as the high school plans being put into place, the Board also was preparing for the primary school’s second year. They had reached the maximum capacity of students and were still getting interest from church groups in the area. These groups were eager to learn more about the unusual little school at the bottom of the hill. Some of this interest was generated from the Opening Day and some from the literature sent our earlier in the year. Specifically, Kalamunda Christian Fellowship requested someone from the Association to visit the church and present during the service; the Darling Range Church of Christ also asked for additional information to pass along to its congregation. Joan Grosser was again given the chief role of being the public speaker on behalf of the team. With the current number of students reaching capacity and the likelihood of more students coming from new families as well as current families having children coming into school age, the Board agreed they would advertise for

A whole school photo from 1982. The school was reaching its maximum capacity of students, and the Steering Committee began planning expansion for the following year.

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another teacher for the following year. It was agreed that they would advertise the position at the beginning of the last term; timing which would prove perfect for Greg Wells who was still considering the possibilities that lay before him and the equally significant ramifications either choice would have on his children and his career.

The Board realised that regardless of how many students they had at the school, the fees alone, particularly at the current low rate would never really cover their running costs. The Board therefore understood that parental help,

as well as fundraising, would be an ongoing concern for both the existing primary school as well as the proposed high school (should it go ahead). Even with the Efficiency Audit completed successfully, the primary school still had to cover its own costs for nearly half the school year before receiving any government assistance. Also, even with the Audit complete, they still had to wait up to six weeks until the official approval was processed and the funds eventually released. The Board therefore agreed to 13 ongoing fundraising activities which members could choose to take on and carry out when possible. These ranged from high-end fundraising activities such as dinner with a guest speaker, a car rally or a river cruise, to more down to earth activities such as cake stalls, apple drives and quiz nights.

The Board also invited a man named Mike Bromelow to the next Board meeting on 3 June 1982. Mike was the State Director of the Commonwealth Schools Commission which was, in turn, the ruling body that decided which independent schools should receive funding from the Commonwealth.

Brian Goodchild was a childhood friend of Mike’s, as they attended the same high school together in the 1960s. Brian knew Mike to be a helpful man who was sympathetic to the Association’s cause, he himself being the son of an Anglican minister.

An advert for school fundraisers, which were a major source of income for the school.

The meeting on 3 June 1982 was held at the school and was a significant moment in the life of the Association. It was at this meeting that the fate of the proposed high school would be decided; and either it would be put on hold or a strategic plan would be put in place to see it become a reality. The Board agreed that once again, churches in the Swan area would be canvassed to gauge whether there was sufficient interest in a Christian high school. The Board was quietly confident that these visits would return strong numbers as now they not only had the vision of Christian education as part of their proposal, but also a fully recognised working primary school as proof of their conviction and competency.

The Board agreed that a High School Steering Committee should also be set up to mirror the successful strategy in the primary school’s formation; this would be put to the members present at the Association’s next AGM. Also an

advertisement for a possible principal was scheduled to go out at the same time as those for new primary teachers.

The Primary School now stood at 76 enrolled children, having grown nearly 50% in its first term. The Board had already spent $130 on second-hand desks from Darlington Primary and was happy to report that now all classes had age-appropriate desks in each room. Peter Bailey and George Turpin scheduled another Busy Bee for the following weekend, where they would make a start and hopefully complete some of the projects still at hand, including a new garden shed, drainpipes and guttering to go on the classrooms before the middle of winter was upon the school, new goal posts for the oval, as well as a newly proposed vegetable garden which would be set behind the toilet block.

After the ordinary business of the meeting was concluded, Mike Bromelow was then invited to speak to the Board with regard to possible Commonwealth funding for next year’s high school. What Mike said to the Board in his short presentation seriously dampened the hopes of those present and was not at all what most members were hoping to hear. He was to speak on the possibility of the Association receiving funding for the following year, but, regardless of how sympathetic he was to the cause, he was not the bearer of good news. Mike advised the Board that the Finance and Planning Committee would strongly advise against the Association moving into secondary schooling until the primary school had moved to become a full stream primary school; that is a full class in every year level. He even went further to say that should the Board in fact move straight into creating a secondary school at this very early stage, he could almost guarantee they would be ruled out of contention for receiving a Capital Grant. Mike suggested it would be in the best interests of the Association to wait at least until 1984 before going ahead with any form of secondary school. Mike further warned the Board members that official registration of the proposed high school was in no way automatic even if the primary school had been declared efficient. He then spent a further 30 minutes in a question and answer session with the Board members as they discussed the possibilities over a much needed cup of tea. After they had finished their

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discussion, Mike left the Board members to the rest of their meeting. They all agreed they would make the final decision on whether to move forward at the end of the evening, after everything that Mike had said had a chance to sink in.

The remainder of the meeting time was spent discussing the logistics of accommodating an excursion group from Fitzroy Crossing who would be visiting Perth in late August.

Ossie Amato reported that a bank loan of $5,000 would be available within the week. People were reminded that, if they were using the school bus which had just passed the Department of Transport’s inspection, they should check it daily for oil and water, as it was prone to run out of both on a regular basis. Brian Goodchild was also elected Vice Chairman of the Board on this night and an unrecorded member raised the unusual, yet highly creative, possibility of growing and selling oats on any rural property that the Association may find itself on in the near future.

The Board then discussed Mike Bromelow’s presentation at length and decided unanimously that the Association’s strength lay firmly in the Lord rather than the Commonwealth and the tentative arrangements that had been put in place for the high school’s formation should go ahead as planned.

With the Board’s attention now divided between the Primary and High Schools, Valerie Campbell was feeling the confidence of the Board, as well as her own capabilities, growing as Term Two commenced. Valerie was attempting to provide a complete educational experience for her students, and, much like the case of walking to the local library when their own resources were limited, the team once again improvised in Terms Two and Three and began working on a school musical to present to the parents at the end of the year in order to give the children valued exposure to arts and music. Meredith Maunders had a connection with the Salvation Army and had arranged use of their concert hall

in Swan View. It was here that the rehearsals took place in order for the school to put on two performances at the end of the year. The junior children would perform the singing and dancing number “Step into the Sunshine” while the older children from Years Four to Seven would perform the more challenging full-length musical, Rumpilstilksken.

Valerie notes the importance of the Salvation Army lending the use of their Swan View concert hall as the primary school did not have any facilities where such a project would be possible to either rehearse or perform. Valerie also recalls specifically asking the Board, in response to a request from them of what she would like to see in the school, for an undercover assembly area which could serve such purposes in the future. This was typical foresight on Valerie’s behalf: the Assembly Hall would indeed get to the school in 1984.

Valerie agrees that it not only served as a functioning music and performing arts space, but also allowed the school to meet outdoors as an entire group and forge a communal identity in the eyes of the children, teachers and parents alike. It is worth noting that in true SCEA form, the Assembly Hall was a rescued, second-hand structure from Claremont Teachers’ College, which was dismantled on site, transported to the primary school and erected during another parent Busy Bee. Valerie remembers the eventual musical performance presented in the Swan View Hall as one of her fondest memories of that inaugural year, as she saw how the large-scale production brought the school and parents together. Another source of happiness was the fact that the staff and the children were able to commit to something quite complicated and time consuming, and yet deliver two performances which were well beyond the expectations of most surprised and proud parents.

TOP LEFT: A letter of thanks to Mike Bromilow for speaking at a SCEA meeting.

BOTTOM LEFT: Children performing Step into the Sunshine at their end of year performance.

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ABOVE: An original copy of the children’s Rumpelstiltskin script.

ABOVE MIDDLE Student Paul Goodchild performing in Rumpelstiltskin.

ABOVE FAR RIGHT: Meredith Maunders, Ron Bartlett and Valerie Campbell; pleased and proud after a successful performance and first year.

RIGHT: Student Dale McMillan performing in Rumpelstiltskin.

BOTTOM FAR RIGHT: Students performing Step into the Sunshine.

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After Joan again visited with the local churches and spoke on the proposed high school, as well as the growing primary school, which had reached capacity before the end of its second term, the numbers for 1983 were looking to be even larger than many on the Board had first expected. The Board, already taking steps towards writing a constitution for the Association, now realised that a working document was needed as soon as possible in order to govern what looked like becoming a substantial operation.

Ossie Amato had been working towards a completed version of the constitution which covered issues such as the aims of the Association, the powers of the Board, the Association’s Statement of Faith, as well as voting rights and the procedures for dismissal of members should such actions become necessary. Perhaps the most peculiar or at least telling feature of the first constitution, with regard to the Association’s diverse membership, was a short clause containing two sections under the title Controversial Issues.

This was presented to the Board in September of 1982:

In the interests of harmony amongst membership of the Association, controversial or divisive doctrines which are not explicitly included in the Statement of Faith shall not be promoted within the Association or its school(s). Such issues include: a) Speaking in tongues as a sign of having being filled with the Holy Spirit b) Doctrines which are peculiar to a particular denomination.

This is the third clause in a constitution of 25 clauses, and follows after the clauses covering the Name and Statement of Faith. It arguably speaks volumes to how much diversity existed at that time in Western Australia among Christian churches and the extent to which many believers held on to their own particular denominational practices.

Brian Goodchild recalls that the differences between denominations, which people held on to very tightly, may

seem trivial or even unrecognisable, to a non-Christian onlooker observing from the outside. Joan Grosser also recalls a meeting very early on in the Grossers’ home in 1981. There were members present from the various churches in the area, Baptists, Churches of Christ believers, Brethren believers and Evangelicals, all sharing a common table and working towards a common goal. During the meeting Joan realised that Brian Goodchild, who at the time was the secretary of the then Steering Committee, and who was normally a rigorous and prudent participator in the group’s discussions, had been silent for almost the entire meeting. Joan describes Brian as a stable, consistent Baptist who was a peacemaker and was very good at whichever role he took on and that for him to be silent was not in line with his usual behaviour. Joan, not being one to keep what was on her mind to herself, asked Brian if anything was wrong.

And it was Brian’s response which spoke both of the diversity that was present that night, as well as the cohesion that existed between different groups of believers; Joan recalls Brian’s response,

“To tell you the truth, I’m listening to all of you people, from all different churches, and I’m just realising we all think the same.” Brian Goodchild The issues covered by the Controversial Issues clause have never been the cause of controversy within the Association; at least not to the point where any members found themselves expelled. Perhaps this was due to the clause’s existence, or perhaps it was an act of caution which the Board felt would ensure the differences that did exist within the Association would be a source of strength rather than division. Indeed as the next year approached with rapid growth in tow, the Board was all too aware of how much strength would actually be required.

Bill Grosser remembers just how extreme the level of almost exponential growth was for the Association in its first year.

The Board was now looking at a capacity of 180 children for the primary school in the following year based on the level of interest received from Christian families in the area who were now being presented, not with a risky enterprise on which

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The Association’s original Statement of Faith.

to gamble their children’s education, but with a fairly solid organisation which was developing into a sound alternative to government schooling.

Doug Brewer, a volunteer member who assisted with and, indeed, led some of the building projects alongside Peter Bailey and George Turpin, had organised enough desks and seats, as well as the actual additional classrooms to accommodate the following year’s 180 students. Bill Grosser remembers talking with Valerie Campbell who was asking Bill how much stationery should be ordered for the coming year. Bill said that the school was ready for 180 students and that 180 students were ready for the school. Although a little reluctant to commit to such a large order, even with the local Wooldridge’s Store in Midland supporting the school by waiting patiently for payment on their account, Valerie went ahead and placed the order for the maximum capacity.

It was now approaching the August deadline for the teacher advertisements and Valerie Campbell needed four extra staff for the following year, as the primary school shifted to a single stream operation, with one relatively full class in each year. The advertisements went out, again to the local papers, Christian magazines and the Church newsletters, inviting interested teachers to apply for the new positions. Greg Wells, at the time worshipping at the Kalamunda Church of Christ, saw the advertisement in the paper. The deliberations he had been having with himself over the past months were yet to be finalised and he waited a further three weeks before answering the call for the position and ultimately contacting Valerie for an interview. Greg recalls his state of mind at the time, wrestling with the obvious advantages of what looked like a very promising career with the Education Department,

“A strong conviction drove me to pursue this position. It was as if I had kissed my brain goodbye. There was no good reason for me to apply other than a Godly urge I could not resist.” Greg Wells It was also not only spiritual concerns that occupied Greg, he remembers feeling decidedly uncomfortable at the prospect of working under a female principal, which was, at the time, highly unconventional for most schools in Western Australia. Greg remembers the interview with Valerie, and recalls that she seemed extremely confident and professional as a school leader. In particular, Greg recollects one moment of the interview which has stayed with him for nearly 30 years,

formation of the Steering Committee and its work towards the first high school was also an opportunity for the Association to move away from a parent-controlled model into a more Board-orientated organisation. Alan recalls that, in the first two terms of the first year, there were a lot of meetings with a lot of parents, and the regularity and complications caused by attempting to accommodate all members and all opinions started to become quite unwieldy for the Association.

“We started to realise we couldn’t please all of the people all of the time.”

Alan Campbell Alan also remembers a powerful feeling amongst the Board that the Association could really now achieve anything that they dedicated themselves to; that there was a sense of there being no real impediment to anything that they set out to achieve. Alan remembers there was a real tangible feeling that God was with the Association; that they were on a holy mission and the success of that first year and the obstacles that had been overcome, all in God’s name, were a testament to that feeling. And it was in that spirit that the Board moved forward towards the High School.

“She asked me if I could work under a female principal. (And not being completely truthful), I said that I would have no problems.” Greg Wells The following year while working as the school’s Year Seven teacher, Greg confessed to Valerie that he had not been entirely honest in their first meeting. Greg sensed that Valerie was aware he was struggling with the concept of working under a woman, and on that day they both discussed Greg’s earlier concerns. Greg now counts Valerie as one of the best principals he has ever worked for, regardless of gender, and the two remain very good friends to this day.

Valerie candidly admits that what stood out from the last half of that first year in 1982 was a sense of wonder that the school was still standing. It is easy to imagine the history of the Association as gliding forwards on firm rails towards what it eventually became; but it is important to note just how fragile and, at times, uncertain the very existence of the Association was in the eyes of its members. Both Valerie and Alan admit they never envisioned, particularly in that early period, that their work with the Association would become their careers and indeed their lives as the Association seemed to limp financially from month to month relying on the goodwill of creditors and of course the grace of God. Alan Campbell, who became the Chairman of the High School Steering Committee, remembers that, by the final term of that first year, the need for a high school being available to the current group of Year Sevens was all too obvious. Alan also remembers that the

Greg Wells as Midland Christian School’s Year 7 teacher in 1983.

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Greg Wells Greg Wells has been a long-serving teacher and principal with Swan Christian Education Association from the second year of its inception. Greg initially was, as he describes, a complete outsider from the church and came to know Jesus Christ through a Christian colleague on a veranda of Queens Park Primary School in his first year as a teacher at the age of 21. Greg describes the moment where the Gospel was shared with him as a turning point in his life and after that particular moment he has never looked back and continues to be very excited about serving the Lord as a Christian educator and administrator.

“We stood out by door and he shared the Gospel and as he shared, the weight lifted, the fear left and I was just believing, like John 1:13 ‘to all who believe, to all who receive, he gives the power and authority to become a child of God’, and I experienced that on that day, all those years ago on that veranda.”

Greg has served as a principal across many of SCEA’s schools since 1984, with a six year break at Kingsway Christian College. Greg returned to the Association and today is the Principal of Ellenbrook Christian College, a position he has held for the last seven years. Greg has a transformative and stabilising effect on wherever he finds himself as a school leader and exhibits a dynamic personality with infectious positivity and a real passion for Christianity and Christian education.

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BranchingOut

And these are but the outer fringe of his works; how faint the whisper we hear of him! Who then can understand the thunder of his power?”

Job 26:14 (NIV)

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3. Branching Out

“Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.” 1 Corinthians 2:6-7 (ESV) The choice of reading suggests the Steering Committee was well aware of the challenges ahead and relied heavily on the wisdom and leadership of God in order to guide their decision making. They had two options open to them, proceed as planned for the following year even though they presently did not have the numbers required for the high school, or absorb the current Year Sevens, who in fact numbered only five, and teach them as “post-primary” students still within the Midland site. The Committee did not take long to decide that the vision of the school needed to be enlarged, and a firm decision was made to commence the following year with two Year Eight classes, with a total of fifty children.

It was also at this first meeting that Alan Campbell was elected chairman of the Committee and it was this appointment that proved decisive for both the preparation of the high school as well as the eventual growth of the Association. Alan was at this stage working voluntarily for the Association as well as working full-time in the fledgling IT industry as a computer salesman, covering the brand new ATM machines that were beginning to appear ubiquitously around Australia.

Alan was adamant, even at this early stage, that the high school could not simply be a facility where the students from Midland Christian School trickled in; but rather it must be a regional high school and it must draw its supply of students from a much wider source than simply one primary campus. Alan recalls that the Board never envisaged that the feeder primary schools would one day mainly come from different SCEA schools, but the idea for a stand-alone high school, serving a variety of students from a variety of areas, was at this meeting set firmly in the Board’s mind. Alan recalls that the vision of what was possible, really started to unfold quite early on in the process,

“The whole idea of growing the organisation was taking place, certainly in my mind.” Alan Campbell Recommendations and needs of Swan Christian High School, as discussed at a SCEA Board meeting in August 1982.

The first meeting of the High School Steering Committee was held as early as 22 July 1982 at the primary school and was opened in prayer by Warwick Connor. Warwick Connor was a high school teacher at La Salle College, a Catholic private school situated in the Swan Valley.

Warwick opened with a reading from 1 Corinthians 2:6-7,

The Committee agreed that the aim of the high school would be one of academic excellence in the key areas of education, namely Mathematics, English, Science and Christian Education.

The Committee felt that this would ensure they would encourage what they called at the time, the “largest possible catchment area” for prospective students. The Committee, in true SCEA style, moved as quickly as possible in the chosen direction once the decision had been made.

So quickly, in fact, that an advertisement for an inaugural principal was agreed upon at that first meeting, and would be sent to the usual papers as soon as possible. The advertisement was as follows,

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“Swan Christian Education Association INAUGURAL PRINCIPAL: For the establishment of a Senior Secondary School in the Midland area in 1983. Initial enrolment-50 students at Year 8 level. Applicants need to be committed Christians, with suitable academic qualifications and administrative and teaching experience.”

The Committee also saw the need for a prospectus for parents who were considering sending their children to the new school. Warwick’s contacts at his previous school also proved to be fortuitous as the principal was recommending the proposed Swan Christian High School, to the parents of students who missed out on an enrolment at La Salle.

Warwick also felt the need to mention that both male and female teachers should be recruited for the school and also suggested the possibility of not having a sports program, at least not in the first year, but rather a strong Physical Education program with the addition of children joining local clubs outside of the school. This idea and the ensuing need for a teacher who could run a strong Physical Education program led the Association towards a very interesting man who not only provided the necessary skills to run the aforementioned Physical Education program, but would also prove to be a spiritual leader for both staff and students throughout his many years with the Association; that man’s name was Rob Merrells.

At the time, Rob was working at the prestigious Christ Church Grammar School as head of the Mathematics and Computing Departments. Rob was worshipping at the Helena Swan Christian Fellowship, where he came across the advertisement for teachers, which was being distributed by the Committee. As well as his role as head of two Departments at Christ Church, Rob also ran the gruelling Physical Education program which saw the students, as well as Rob himself, run an 18 kilometre circuit every Tuesday night of the school year and another 12 kilometre circuit every Thursday night of the same week.

It was that intensity and discipline that Rob brought to the Association, both in his spiritual convictions as well as his physical dedication; an intensity which would see him, at times, being the focus of some disgruntled parents, who never imagined their children being driven to such a degree.

For Rob, it was not only a precedent set by Christ Church Grammar, but it was also part of his personal philosophy which he would recall many years later,

“Just because we were Christians, didn’t mean we had to be weak.” Rob Merrells It was agreed by the Steering Committee and the Board on 12 August 1982 that the planning for the high school would be in recess until a principal had been found. Interviews had started as early as August and a separate committee was formed at this stage to look for suitable land for the proposed high school. It was Brian Goodchild who again stepped forward into this leadership role. They had found an 11 acre property which was located on Bushmead Road in the industrial area of Hazelmere. The committee had gone as far as making an offer on the property, and was waiting only on council approval to rezone the land as a possible school site.

At a Members’ Meeting on 23 September 1982, held again at the primary school, many questions were asked of the Board by parents and teachers. One concerned the possibility of the Hazelmere land not being ready for the following year, to which the Board responded that interim measures were being looked into. However just how close the Association came to not having a school site in that next year, would go beyond anyone’s reasonable expectations.

TOP: The SCHS principal advert, cut out from the West Australian by Rob Merrells in 1982.

BOTTOM: Rob Merrells at a SCHS running carnival; proving Christians aren’t weak.

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The second enquiry from the members was the question of money. Where was the Association, who could barely afford to run a primary school, going to find enough money to develop a brand new regional high school? The Board’s response was made in honesty and in faith. It isn’t clear who spoke the words but the record of that night shows the statement made as follows,

“we have no explanation as to where or how the money will come, but we know that our Lord will provide all our needs.” Board member It would take another three weeks before the High School Steering Committee would reconvene, as it was at this time that the advertisements and interviews yielded both the first principal of the high school, as well as the first teacher. The principal was Warwick Connor and the first teacher appointed was Rob Merrells. Warwick Connor was invited to apply for the position at the Grossers’ request, who knew first hand of his high teaching standards, as he currently taught their children at La Salle College. Rob recalls the time when he informed his colleagues at Christ Church Grammar he was moving on to become a part of a new school offering Christian education. The surprise of his fellow staff was amplified when they pressed him for details of his new appointment,

Rob describes the reasoning for this seemingly strange career choice as a chance to escape the clutches of a worldly curriculum. He was more than happy to take a risk on the new high school even though they were without name, land or building. Rob reluctantly admits the gamble he took on his own career and recalls the focus of serving God and teaching children biblical truths to be far more important to him than a leadership role within a more secular environment. Rob would serve under Warwick Connor and see firsthand just how challenging the role of a principal could be in that first year.

Warwick led the small band of teachers that was eventually appointed over the coming months, including Rob, and led them through what would turn out to be quite a tumultuous year; one full of extraordinary growing pains including a change of staff leadership, as well as several student expulsions. Indeed the first year of the High School was looming, but it turned out to be something almost entirely different to many of the members’ expectations.

With the realities of the first year ahead of them, the Board got down to the business of making clear to members what

“I was Head of Computing and Maths there and I was fairly well entrenched, and they asked me where I was going, and I said a Christian school.

Then they asked me what it was called and I said it hasn’t really got a name; then they asked where it was and I said, well we haven’t actually got a place.” Rob Merrells

Swan Christian High School’s first teaching staff. Top [from left:] Vivian Hill, Warwick Connor and Rob Merrells. Bottom [from left]: Dot Smedley (secretary), Mrs Philpot, Betty Pendal, Janice Panton.

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was required in order to make the new extended vision a reality. At a meeting in late September, The Board asked for one half day a week to be given from all parents to help either on site at the new high school or in some capacity from home. The vision was indeed extending, or certainly about to be, and the Board knew it needed the parents even more than they had in the past in order to start the secondary school.

Doug Brewer, the man who was instrumental in the building projects for the Primary School and who gave the Association not only his time but also the use of his Building License, was now employed by the Association on an ongoing basis to do the same for the High School when the time should arrive. From this point forward, the Board appeared to assume that the High School would come into being by Term One of 1983; and with over 120 families in the Association, they would have strong numbers for both the primary and secondary campuses. The Board agreed that the High School would now start with Years 8, 9 and 10 and, with 34 students already committed, they were well on their way to getting full class numbers by February of the following year. The estimated cost for a high school, based on the Steering Committee’s design, to be built from the ground up stood at $100,000; the Board agreed to form a proposed budget to present to the ANZ bank for a loan. At that time, the Association had $6,400 to its name, a sum which was only sufficient to see them through the next three weeks.

The Finance and Planning Committee put their faith in God into action and moved forward on the momentum created by the precedent set the previous year. Again they had no land, no building and practically no money; but they did have a plan. They saw five options before them to help raise the money needed. Commonwealth grants, long-term bank loans, short-term member loans, Building Fund donations and a redistribution of general funds. The Commonwealth grant seemed unlikely for the reasons stated by Mike Bromelow. A meaningful redistribution of general funds was also out of the question, as there simply wasn’t any money to spare; building fund donations were a good option for the Committee and these were being sought from members,

friends and any other interested parties available. It seemed that the majority of the funding would have to come from long-term loans as well as short-term member loans, which would be chiefly used to offset the interest owed to the bank. The Finance Committee also adjusted the school fees for both the primary and the new secondary school, which now meant families earning less than $13,000 a year would be asked to pay $20 a month while those at the higher end, earning $26,000 or above, would be asked for $80 a month. The Committee were still waiting on the zoning decision from the council regarding the Hazelmere land, which meant the immediate need for funds could wait; but for how long was uncertain.

Another issue began to arise during this time which concerned both the high school as well as the primary school, and that was a discussion about open or closed enrolments. The Association had originally envisaged a ‘closed enrolment’ policy where the school comprised 100% enrolment from Christian families. This was modelled on the practice of Rehoboth who, to this day, maintain a total closed enrolment policy. The Association had, however, adjusted its original stance and allowed up to ten percent of students from non-Christian families to attend on the basis that the school would become a mission field and be used to bring nonChristians in the community closer to God. Some Members were initially reluctant to make this concession as they feared 10% would turn to 15% and 15% to 20%, and so on. It was a tension that some believed affected the unity of the Association, with some parents being denied membership on account of their non-Christian beliefs. It would also prove to be an issue which the Association would be conscious of throughout its lifetime.

As late as 2 December 1982 the Association had to postpone any actual building projects as the availability of the Hazelmere land was still unconfirmed, with settlement being continuously delayed on account of rezoning issues with the council. The situation did not look promising, and a week later that the Board finally received the council’s decision; a decision which would disappoint the Board and force them to rethink the situation. The settlement was denied as issues such as sewerage, dust and the neighbouring flight paths from the airport all made the location unsuitable for a permanent high school. The Board’s response was twofold, first look for another site immediately and, second, enquire into temporary accommodation for the school.

The latter however would be unlikely, as they would have to find an existing school-like site which was both vacant and available; the prospects of finding such a site were indeed minimal.

The Board would take this news to its members one week before the Christmas break and planned to meet again early in the new year with the hope of more promising developments.

While the logistics of the Association continued to be managed by the Board and its members, Doug Brewer was busy drafting the plans for the High School. In Stage One of his design he proposed an auditorium, seven classrooms, each with their own cooling and heating systems, a toilet block and staffroom as well as various amenities and facilities within the rooms such as sinks, benches, pin up cork frames and blackboards. The projected cost of the proposal stood at over a quarter of a million dollars. He also planned for a Stage Two which would see two additional classrooms, a reception building and a larger staffroom. The cost of which would bring the total well above $300,000. This cost would stand even with volunteer labourers assisting professional bricklayers, which would be employed by the Association. It was both Doug’s opinion as well as that of others such as Bill Grosser that if they were to move forward and commit to a high school campus, it could not be built in the same fashion as the primary school, elements of which Doug believed to be a little unsafe and undesirable for the larger, more permanent high school vision.

Original plans for a car park for when land was purchased for the High School.

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In January 1983, weeks away from the start of the school year, the Lord provided for the Association, albeit in ways which would surprise those praying for rezoning appeals and fundraising for land purchases. The provision of high school premises came through the unforeseen channel of the Seventh Day Adventists (SDA), who were at the time based in Gosnells and had recently and, fortuitously for SCEA, vacated a high school campus in Victoria Park on account of their students amalgamating with the Adventist College located in Carmel.

It was Warwick Connor who made contact with the Seventh Day Adventist Church administration and expressed interest in leasing the premises. Warwick received a quick response from the SDA Board after they had voted to approve the request and rent a fully functioning high school to SCEA for the sum of $800 a week. The Adventist Board set forth minor conditions concerning the use of the land, including rubbish removal and water rates, as well as the stipulation that the campus was not to be used in any way between Friday sunset and Saturday sunset in keeping with the Adventist Saturday Sabbath. The Association now had what many believed would be provided by God, and were in turn relieved of the burden of fundraising in order to purchase their own land and buildings; at least for the immediate future.

Brian Goodchild remembers this as being another example of people from many different branches of the Christian community coming together and working well as a unified group, at a time when interdenominational gatherings were comparatively rare. Likewise Alan Campbell recalls that the Board was very open to receiving help from anyone who could assist them, as long as the intentions were in line with what was trying to be achieved. Warwick Connor, like some other staff members who would work for SCEA in those early years, was a former member of the Seventh Day Adventist Church and even trained at the Avondale Seventh Day Adventist Teachers’ College in New South Wales. His connections to the movement were quite strong, and they were connections through which the Lord chose to bless the Association.

The Association now had a high school for the start of the 1983 school year and would spend the next few weeks

George and Glynis Turpin, who themselves had been closely assisting Joan and Bill Grosser from the very beginning.

Murray and Pam were also attending the same church as Warwick Connor at the time, the Darlington United Church, and remember Warwick being very passionate about Christian education, constantly talking about the High School. His enthusiasm, in turn, inspired Murray and Pam. Not wanting to disrupt their children’s school year, the Guys joined as members in 1982 helping with their time, money and labour, with the intention of putting their children through the school the following year.

Student Angie Sturrock at Swan Christian High School when it was situated on the Victoria Park campus.

cleaning and upgrading the classrooms, getting the facilities ready for the students. When the Seventh Day Adventists had left the school, they had left the building in a condition unfit for continuing another school year, as they had originally planned to demolish it. Peter Bailey again came to the forefront in readying the school and, among many other efforts, tendered $1,200 to the WA Meat Commission in order to purchase 144 lockers, in yet another example of his resourcefulness and creativity.

It was at this time that a foundation member named Murray Guy was approached to work in a caretaker’s role in a voluntary capacity at the High School. Murray and his wife, Pam, were instrumental in the teamwork which saw the primary school become a reality. Murray recalls the Busy Bees with fondness and remembers the ever present “plate of goodies” brought by the ladies and the sing songs which took place at break times on the site. Murray would work as a volunteer for the Association for the next five years, before being eventually employed as a Student Counsellor.

Murray had three children in government schooling before the formation of SCEA and became aware of SCEA through

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Murray remembers that on the first day of the High School, the campus was not yet ready for the students despite everyone’s best efforts and hard work. The solution to the problem at hand was to hold a school camp for the first week of term which would allow the children to start and the workers to finish. Murray remembers Peter Denford, a parent member who ran a tourism business in Perth with a London doubledecker bus, loading up the 85 students, a few teachers and volunteers, including Rob Merrells and Warwick Connor and taking off for a week’s camp at Woodman’s Point.

During that week Murray went to Hale School where the Principal, John Inverity (a former Test and first-class cricketer), supplied Murray with desks, chairs and other second-hand resources intended for the Hale School scrap heap. It was in Peter Bailey’s truck, that Murray headed back and forth, three or four times that week, in order to have the school ready for when the children returned.

Murray Guy echoes Alan Campbell’s sentiments of the Association surviving by the good grace of God and parent help. He recalls there were four paid staff at the small High School in that first year and a staggering 22 volunteers. As well as volunteering as a maintenance staff member, Murray also developed a Trade Course for the students at Warwick Connor’s request. Murray would teach the course for four periods a week, for free, for the next two years. While Murray was busy making his contributions, his wife Pam, a library assistant at the time at John Forrest Primary School, came to the High School in 1984 and started the very first library, also in a voluntary capacity.

support Rob’s assessment of those first years. Devon’s recollections, which she recalls with some sadness, are that probably more children were expelled in the first three years of the High School then in the following 27 years combined.

Students working on Hale School’s rejected desks at the SCHS Victoria Park campus.

While Murray and Peter were busy readying the school, Rob Merrells and Warwick Connor were facing a challenging first week with the students on camp. Rob describes the camp week as hectic as well as a shock to the system, as he had come from the all-boys Christ Church Grammar. On the first evening of the camp, some of the Year Ten students, boys and girls, ran away from the campsite to visit the beach in the middle of the night. Rob recalls frantically rounding up the students who were to be found at different points between the camping grounds and the sands of Point Peron.

From the rigid discipline and all-male environment of his previous school, Rob Merrells realised on that night, that he would have to come to terms with some very different issues in his new role; issues he would be continually facing as he dealt with girls and boys together for the first time. On reflection, Rob recalls some of the students from that first year were sent to the new high school as a last resort by concerned parents, wanting to bring their somewhat unruly children under control. Evidence of this thinking is echoed in another volunteer staff member by the name of Devon Markham. Devon Markham and her husband Frank were both heavily involved in the early years of the Association and continued to be so up until the turn of the century. Both

Devon would go on to give her time generously and voluntarily for the next 17 years, starting with her chairmanship of the High School Steering Committee, later to become the Management Committee. Devon and Frank both remember the early years as being very demanding as well as being a time of tremendous fellowship between staff, parents and children alike. Devon and Frank were contributors at all school Busy Bees as well as initiators of the first second-hand uniform shop and canteen. The Markhams, particularly Devon, saw their involvement directly as a means of serving God. Devon would be yet another of a series of women who would embrace the challenge of being in a leadership position within the prevailing male-orientated culture. Devon remembers Joan Grosser approaching her to serve on the Association’s Board as the sole female director at the time.

Devon recalls a sense of intimidation as she considered joining the Board. She describes feeling a little insignificant in comparison to the “Godly men” who she saw serving as directors at the time. Devon asked Joan for additional time to consider the request and spent another month praying on her decision. Devon did accept the role and many years later would jokingly refer to the fact that, in reality, no-one said no to Joan Grosser. The truth however of Devon’s decision, after prayerful consideration, was that she believed that the challenging request was in fact God’s will, and it was her belief that God only calls people to act upon certain tasks which He has enabled them to perform successfully. Devon very modestly recalls that, although fearful, she did become a long-serving member of the Board and was, more than once, nominated for Chairman by her fellow members. A nomination she humbly declined on each occasion.

As the staff and volunteers were challenged at the chalk face of the school, there were also many issues that the Board faced in that testing first year; student expulsions amongst them. Issues of the day, which 30 years later would arguably hold slightly less importance for the Board’s modern

Volunteers serving students at the SCHS canteen.

equivalent, rose throughout the first years of the High School.

Issues such as a teacher’s marital status changing from married to divorced, as well as certain doctrinal beliefs of individual teachers which might be seen as nearly in breach of the Association’s newly implemented Controversial Issues clause. There were other serious issues which would not appear any less challenging over the passing of any amount of time such as a Year Ten student becoming pregnant and her enrolment at the school coming under question.

Rob Merrells remembers the first year as being one of extreme contrasts and extraordinary emotional challenges.

He also recalls a feeling of tremendous teamwork and there being a palpable sense of comradeship among all those involved. Rob himself had up to three parent volunteers in his Maths class on a regular basis. It was also a very demanding time for the new staff, which Rob describes as being on account of three particular tensions that were present both in that first year, as well as the formative years to follow. The first issue which Rob remembers was one of discipline. Staff were becoming frustrated at what they saw as their inability to

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deliver firm punishment to what Rob describes as a small group of repeat offenders. The added pressure of considering the school’s enrolment numbers was also among other concerns Rob had to face for the first time as a classroom teacher. The second issue Rob recalls as,

“. . .a perceived fear of the Charismatic movement by some Board members.

Staff who had accepted some of the teachings of the movement felt they were constantly being monitored lest they break out into divisive doctrines.”

Rob Merrells The final burden for the staff in those early years was meeting the very high standards of the Board; a Board which, although it had very little expertise in the realities of teaching, was made up of extremely committed and ardently idealistic Christians. Christians who all firmly believed they were on a Godly mission. A stance which was constantly being reinforced by what the Association was achieving in spite of astonishing obstacles. Devon Markham recalls matter-of-factly that miracles were happening every day and the running of the school and the needs of the students were being met constantly with little or no resources. The continued survival and success of the Association, in spite of regular complications and impediments, fed the confidence of the Board’s faith and it was this which set the standard to which staff performance was being measured. It was a tension that Rob understood in the context of a new organisation. He knew it would be difficult for non-teachers to truly understand what it takes to run a high school on a day to day basis, and yet he also appreciated the frustration the Board would feel as they weighed the reality of any given school day up against their personal sacrifices and ideals upon which the Association was built.

“What started out as a vision with much energy and team spirit, turned into a sober reality that this thing we called Christian education would not be handed to us on a plate.” Rob Merrells The frustrations of that first year for both staff and Board culminated in the termination of employment of the Inaugural Principal, Warwick Connor, in September 1983. As Joan Grosser regretfully recalls, the chief reason for Warwick’s eventual departure, was in fact a lack of experience on behalf of the Board at the time of interviewing. Joan remembers that certain aspects of Warwick’s biblical standpoint were in conflict with some of the Association’s core ideals; and although a proficient leader in practical terms, Warwick was not aligned with the Board’s vision of their sort of Christian school. Joan freely admits that “Warwick did get a raw deal”, and expresses a deep sorrow at how his relationship with the Association ended. As a testament to Warwick’s character and abilities, he was welcomed back to his previous school, La Salle College, the very next year.

Alan Campbell also supports this view and states that it was indeed unfair for Warwick Connor to be dismissed in the fashion he was in that first year. Alan recalls Warwick was expected to know exactly what the core ideals of the Board were at the time, without anyone really taking the time to inform him what those core ideals were. Alan further adds that even to members of the Board, the exact Biblical nature of what the Association required from its staff and members remained somewhat ambiguous. This was perhaps the first instance in the history of the Association where the inexperience of the leadership team and the differing worldviews of individual Christians, resulted in a collision which the Association was unable to avoid or remedy.

It was also at this time that Alan was employed as an Administrator for the Association. He agreed to work for half his contracted salary at the time in order to ease the added financial pressure his position would put on the organisation. Alan’s main brief was to make contacts and engage with members of the state and national education systems, which would enable the Board to maximise its service and growth potential, drawing on the widest possible variety of resources available to them. The Board wanted to offer Christian education and they knew they would have to be well equipped with finance as well as passion if they were to deliver it competitively and become a strong alternative for parents and children.

An exerpt from a committee report in regards to the first student expelled from SCHS. This is the conclusion at the end of the report, demonstrating the teachers’ stuggle to find godly ways to discipline students

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The acquisition of suitable land for future schools also came under Alan Campbell’s ambit as Administrator. The High School was settling in well in those first two years on the leased Victoria Park campus, and it had been raised by some members that the Association should purchase the school from the Seventh Day Adventists and move permanently to the metropolitan site. Although the idea certainly had its merits, for Alan it did not fit in with the vision of growth he personally had for the Association, which included the eventual placement of a regional high school serving the Swan Valley area. The Victoria Park campus was inadequate as far as growth potential was concerned, and the location was inappropriate for what the Board and members were setting out to achieve. Alan jokingly recalls that he had nothing against Victoria Park personally but, for the Association’s purposes at the time, anything west of Bassendean was considered another planet.

It was Arthur Rowcliffe who drove past a 33 acre vacant property in Middle Swan that was and had been on the market for some time. Arthur was a member of the Swan Christian Fellowship in Bellevue where Alan also worshipped, and it was here, through Arthur, that Alan first learned of the large area of land which would eventually become the Association’s flagship campus.

Great Northern Highway, with Arthur Rowcliffe’s car to the right. This is where he stopped and took photos when he first saw the site.

Alan recalls driving out alone to the empty lot to see for himself whether it would be suitable for a permanent regional high school. Alan describes the land as one giant empty paddock where the summer weather of 1984 had left the short grass burnt, lifeless and browning. On that day, Alan walked the perimeter of the land and spent what he describes as a good few hours praying to God and asking, is this the place? It was certainly large enough to realise Alan and the Board’s vision of the growth they wanted to see over the coming years, and its location was perfect in relation to servicing the surrounding areas of interest. Visually the land sat in perhaps one of the more aesthetically pleasing locations in the Swan Valley, sharing a boundary with the historic Houghton’s Vineyard, one of the first wineries in Western Australia.

Alan’s concerns were, however, not with the view, nor the region’s history but whether God was leading the Association towards making an offer on the ground where he now stood.

The asking price on the land was $220,000, a sum out of reach of the Board’s current bank account but one which could conceivably be raised if the Association agreed to go ahead. Alan rang the real estate agent who was handling the property to enquire into conditions and particulars of a possible sale and was halted abruptly as he was told that

The ‘paddock’ on which Swan Christian High School was built, and remains to this day.

in fact the land had already been sold and the owner had accepted a cash offer of $170,000, an offer which would be confirmed the following week. Alan thanked the real estate agent for his time and decided to call back later in the unlikely event that something might have gone wrong with the current arrangement.

The following Monday Alan was surprised to hear that the cash offer had been withdrawn and, in response, Alan suggested that Swan Christian Education Association might now put in a offer subject to finance, but at the new price of $170,000. The real estate agent agreed to wait until Alan conferred with the Board over the new offer. It was this news that Alan could now take to the Association, and in consideration of which they would prayerfully decide whether or not to move in this direction.

A meeting was held at Midland Christian School on 13 March 1984, where, among other business, the Board would decide whether to go ahead and put in an official offer on the Middle Swan land. The Board were well aware that should they go ahead they would be testing their abilities and resources severely, and wanted to ensure that this path was what God had in mind for them. In an unusual step, the Board decided to vote through secret ballot, a device usually discouraged by the Association which values openness and transparency.

Alan remembers being chosen to be the one who would draw the votes from the hat and tally up the numbers for and against the proposal. Alan was unsure of what the result would be, but was pleasantly surprised to find a unanimous vote in favour of the Swan Valley property. Alan remembers clearly that the result reinforced the feeling that this direction was indeed where God wanted to lead the Association.

It was only a matter of a few weeks after this ballot was cast that the vendor selling the property accepted the official offer from the Association. Although there were terms and conditions set by the local council that the Association must meet before any building was to take place, terms and conditions which would test the patience of the Association’s members as well as the mettle of Alan Campbell, the regional vision for Midland Christian High School was now becoming a reality.

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As at the 21 June 1984, the Victoria Park Campus was enjoying strong student numbers. The population now stood at 143 students in total, with 55 in Year Eight, 56 in Year Nine and 32 in Year Ten. There were ten teachers working a combination of full time and part time, including the Principal, Vivian Hill, and it would be this student-teacher ratio, as well as class sizes, that would play a significant role in whether or not the Association would be successful in receiving national funding from the Commonwealth Schools Commission (CSC). The CSC was a commission set up in the early 1970s whose function included monitoring and maintaining standards in non-government schools. The acquisition of the new land was looking promising and the steady growth of the Association seemed to be sufficient to one day meet the Board’s vision of a regional high school, with student numbers in excess of 600. The Association was currently in negotiations with the Swan Council with particular attention being paid to the site’s peculiar waste disposal requirements, which would eventually see the proposal of not a sewerage or septic system but rather a series of lagoons which would sit at the rear of the block and serve as effluent ponds. These ponds would process the waste produced by the high school up to the present day; waste which would sit well out of sight of future students, staff and visitors to the campus.

The Board sent the student and staff numbers to the Commonwealth Schools Commission, along with the initial plan for Stage One of the High School. The Board were also to learn that the Victoria Park Campus was to be put up for sale by the Seventh Day Adventist Board, a possibility which was made clear to the Association at the time of their initial lease. Although the Association did have a first offer clause with the Seventh Day Adventist Board should the campus be offered for sale, purchasing the metropolitan site was not now in line with the Association’s direction and the news added considerable pressure to the negotiations with the local council. And once again the possibility of being without a campus for the following school year began to appear as a very real prospect.

The SCHS grant sign in front of the school site stating building was under way.

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At an additional meeting held in the primary school in June by the Building Committee, which was made up of Brian Goodchild, Alan Campbell, Vivian Hill, Wes Mitchell and Arthur Rowcliffe, it was decided that the Association would hire architect Ian Anderson and builders Compton De Baris and Graham Mitchell to draw up plans and ready themselves for building Stage One of the High School in Middle Swan.

Alan Campbell remembers this time as being quite stressful because of the many competing tensions.

Among these tensions were the attempts to finalise council approval in order that building works might get under way, coupled with waiting for the Commonwealth Schools Commission to deliver their findings with regard to funding; and this was all happening alongside the potential loss of accommodation from the current high school site before the end of the 1985 school year. Alan recalls coming under criticism from parent members at this time as he led the Association through this trying period. He recalls that there was a sense that the Association had been so successful in getting its projects up and running with regard to the Primary School and High School in Victoria Park that a level of expectation existed amongst members that was incredibly high. Alan felt that many of the parents were unaware of just how protracted and complicated some of the Association’s past achievements had been, which, in turn, led to perceptions of the team’s incompetence when they first encountered what could be considered to be normal everyday delays. Alan recalls that in his career to date he was used to being recognised and rewarded as a more than capable innovator and team member, and the unwarranted criticism was something he had to adjust to for the first time. Based on the comments of more recent leaders, this particular burden of leadership continues to this day.

Along with the public funding that would eventually come from the Schools Commission, the Association was now under certain legal obligations that came with receiving public money. They now had to open all future building roles to tender and employ outsiders to perform work which had hitherto been done exclusively by volunteer members.

Alan calls this period the “end of the beginning” of the

Association’s life, as it now had to move slightly away from parent help and become more professional in satisfying government requirements.

“The sense of the school community broke down once we started using government money and government processes it put a wedge between me and the early pioneers. The route we were taking meant we had to do things in an appropriate way,. . . which was different, and of course some people felt disenfranchised undoubtedly.” Alan Campbell Alan cites this point in the organisation as a necessary growing pain; transitioning from a small single, parentcontrolled school to now one of the largest independent school Associations in Australia.

The building project eventually got under way in July 1984.

Alan recalls that most of the early works in the latter part of the year were all below ground level which only served to amplify some member’s concerns that little progress was actually being made. It is worth noting that the Association was also competing with the new Casino being built in Burswood for builders and contractors; yet another factor which added to the strains and stresses of the ambitious project.

Alan describes the nine-month building project which commenced in July as a nightmare; one which was fraught with bad timing and less than fortunate results from some contractors working on site. Alan remembers underground wiring and cabling which fed power to entire sections of the Swan Valley being uprooted accidently during early earthworks, as well as one of the earth moving machines itself being bogged in the wet July ground. During the project Alan also received a phone call from the neighbouring Swanleigh Residential College, informing him that some of the contractors working on site were in fact powering their operations using the Anglican school’s electricity.

A noteworthy detail from this period surfaced when in order for Council approval to be given with regard to the proposed

TOP: Building under way at Swan Christian High School.

BOTTOM: The final stages of the building process at the new SCHS site.

buildings, Alan had to provide the Council with the expected size of the school once it had reached its potential. The figure Alan submitted was 1,200, a very ambitious forecast for the young Association. However, the number proposed speaks volumes for the Board and Alan’s vision, as well as their ability to realise it over the coming years. Today, Swan educates a student population of 1500.

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The work continued through the winter and into the summer of 1984 as Alan, the Board and parents alike looked on, counting down the days to the start of the school year in 1985. It soon became apparent that, although the project would come close to finishing on schedule, it would not be ready to accommodate the high school students who were already planning the clean up and preparing to leave Victoria Park. A solution was needed for the first term of 1985 and once again the Association found an unlikely home to meet their needs temporarily. It was the unusual confines of a recently closed reform school, the Hillston Boys’ Farm School in Stoneville.

The Hillston property was situated on 149 hectares of semirural land in the Perth hills and would serve as the school’s home for the first six weeks of 1985. In fact, the first term of that year was only six weeks long due to an early Easter, which made the provisional campus all the more transitory in nature. Devon Markham remembers that the facilities in the Hillston School were adequate although quite old and run down. The Department for Child Protection had closed the facility two years previously to make way for the more modern Darlington Cottage which served a similar purpose.

Hillston, just as Victoria Park before it, had been relatively neglected in its vacancy and had to be cleaned out by parents, Board members and other volunteers.

Devon and Frank Markham once again served as chief cleaners as well as transporters as they took the school supplies over the course of two days, in the back of Peter Bailey’s truck, from the Victoria Park campus to the interim campus at Stoneville. Devon recalls the layout of the boys’ home wasn’t ideal, but she adds that the Swan students thoroughly enjoyed the bush setting and perhaps adapted to their new camp-like location more easily than the parents and staff. Murray Guy remembers that he and other volunteers would bus the students up the hill to the Stoneville Campus every day for the duration of the six-week term. Murray also remembers the children finding particular interest in the small prison cells that were still on the campus and that, although it was indeed unsuitable for a school, it was only for a short time and everyone coped very well.

Rob Merrells was also looking forward to the move to the new campus and had enjoyed what he describes as a wonderful two years at Victoria Park. Rob recalls the team spirit between the staff and students was very high in those early years; and among his fondest memories are some students becoming Christians due to this close knit fellowship. One example of just how close and family-like the atmosphere was at the High School was Rob’s birthday celebrations in 1984. Rob invited all his students to come for a party of games, songs and celebration, which was to be held in his shed behind his new Helena Valley home. One stipulation was given to all guests by Rob Merrells, which clearly stated that all those attending were required to dress up as Rob Merrells.

Rob remembers that the school had grown considerably since 1983 and had managed to successfully keep its sense of community, particularly amongst staff and students. It is also worth noting that throughout the early years of the Association, and indeed through to the present day, although there have been various points of adversity and tension, these hardships never seemed to filter down to sour or spoil the individual student experience; a fact to which all staff, both past and present, attest with delight.

The Association was now moving onward and upward from the humble inspired beginnings of 1981 and was beginning to form into a larger entity, an entity that would challenge all involved and would require great strength and wisdom, both in moving forward as well as maintaining the original principles upon which it was founded.

Alan Campbell was personally aware that as they moved forward they would have to change certain approaches to how they thought about themselves, as well as how they conducted themselves as an organisation. He recalls in the early years the parents and the church were vital components of the Association, but as they grew bigger they required a presence in certain state and national forums which would serve their interests on an ongoing basis, a presence which would not necessarily be appropriately fulfilled by parent volunteers. Alan believed having a voice in these particular forums to be essential in order to ensure

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Students dressed as Rob Merrells at his birthday party.

that decisions being made about schools would be made with the Association’s interests in mind. An example of the implementation of this thinking was Alan’s drive for SCEA to join the Association of Independent Schools (AIS), which was an unusual step for a low fee school. The AIS at that time was mainly seen as a stronghold for elite private schools such as Guildford Grammar; but arguably, it was contacts made and information gleaned by Alan while participating in these types of gatherings, which enabled him to gain the required skills to lead the Association forward over the course of the next 20 years.

Fruition

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and selfcontrol. Against such things there is no law.

Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV)

4. Fruition Greg Wells enjoyed his first year at Midland Christian School in 1983 and the Association knew they had a staff member who had given up a potential leadership role with the Education Department in order to serve God and fill a more subordinate role as a classroom teacher.

Greg also changed from a high school teacher to a Year Seven classroom teacher, a move which dismayed his fellow staff at Kalamunda High School, who saw the move as one which required considerably more work.

Greg remembers the interview procedures that were in place at SCEA at the time of first applying; and describes the multi-layered process as staggering and intense. Greg recalls the arduous nature of first applying in writing and then being interviewed by the entire Board and questioned at length, not just on his abilities and experiences as a teacher, but also enduring a thorough investigation into his spiritual beliefs and how he would apply them on a daily basis to his work as an educator. Once these steps were complete, which could take up to two

hours, candidates were then asked to appear before a full Members’ Meeting where they would present a short talk on who they were and what they hoped to bring to the Association.

The candidate then left the room and a vote was taken by the members by a show of hands as to the suitability of the candidate,

“ . . .then you’d come back in and if they were clapping then you’d been appointed and if they weren’t you’d just sit down for a while and (eventually) go home.” Greg Wells Part of Greg’s role in his first year was to also take an old Bedford bus, donated by two parent members from Kalamunda, and each day drive down the hill carrying up to 40 students who had to make the daily trip down to Midland. It was in this year that the parents of these children held a meeting at the Kalamunda Agricultural Hall and signed a petition expressing their interest in a Christian School being established up in the hills. At the end of the meeting, there were 37 students who were committed to the potential school should it be built the following year. This was sufficient parent interest to warrant action from the Board and the search for appropriate premises began in earnest.

The story of Kalamunda Christian School is one which demonstrates the Board’s commitment to working towards the vision of having numerous primary schools to feed its future regional high school. It is also the story of a highly unlikely chain of events which saw a new leader emerge within the Association who would serve it for a considerable amount of time, as well as one of the more unusual property developments in the Association’s history.

The Board was able to locate a disused shopping centre which lay empty in the back blocks of Bickley. A business venture, which went unrealised for a group of investors, was now seen by the Board as yet another example of God’s continuing provision for the Association. The school commenced the following year, 1984, and was staffed by only two teachers, taking classes for Years One through to Six. One of the staff was Greg Wells who applied for and was appointed to the position of principal and now found himself not only the head of a primary school but the head of a primary school only minutes away from his home. Greg was very enthusiastic about his new appointment and the thought of nearly heading to the Wheatbelt was fading nicely in his memory.

The second teacher was Sally Hooper who was a first year graduate out of teachers college and, like Greg, she too remembers the rigorous and, at times, downright frightening ordeal of the Association’s application process. Having been approached by Peter Bailey to apply for the position, Sally agreed to fill in the application forms, which she light-heartedly remembers as seeming to be hundreds of pages long, and began the process which would see her employed throughout her entire teaching career up to the present day.

Greg Wells, top right, and the rest of the staff at Midland Christian School in 1983.

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“After I filled in all the forms and applied, I had an interview with Val Campbell who was very friendly . . . then I had to have an interview with the Board and after that I had to meet Greg Wells separately and then I had to go through a Members’ Meeting and speak in front of everyone before they voted.” Sally Hopper Greg was to teach the Years Four, Five and Six, but first the Association had to finish the building works that were left unfinished by the original investors. Greg recalls that the building, initially intended to hold five specialty shops and a supermarket, was really just a shell which was 40 feet deep and 20 feet wide with a veranda around the perimeter. The Association’s plan was to turn each of the smaller shops into classrooms, the supermarket space into an eventual pre-primary and the mall space would serve as the eating and assembly area for the children. Once again it was be the parents and member volunteers who came to the aid of the Association and through a long series of busy bees, eventually transformed an empty building, once destined to service a new community whose housing development never materialised, into the third school planted by the Association to deliver affordable Christian education. The effort made by the parents and collective volunteers was not lost on Greg, whose belief in Christian education had grown stronger over his first year working at Midland Christian School.

of Association’s needs, as well as the parents’ willingness to provide for their children. Greg remembers the vast array of work which needed to be carried out included paving, concrete pouring, building sewerage tanks, laying lawn and reticulation pipes, painting walls and ceilings as well as maintaining the school on an ongoing basis. Greg estimates that the parents provided hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of service to the Association and were without question invaluable in getting SCEA to where it is today.

Greg acknowledges that the level of continued support for such a long time, to the point where out of 40 member families, 35 people would turn up each Saturday to volunteer, was in itself a Christian education for the children. For Greg, the children were witnessing firsthand what was possible when Christians came together with a common cause of honouring God as well as seeing the continuous sustained provision that was afforded to the Association and the individual schools in the process. Sally Hooper also recognises the extraordinary accomplishments that took place, particularly the formation and success of the Kalamunda campus,

“If we knew then, what we know now, we would have thought it was absolutely impossible. . . . . if I had heard someone else had done what we did, I would have thought it was amazing, but I don’t consider myself amazing, we just did what we did.” Sally Hooper

“I’ve never seen anything quite like it. . . . the pioneers of this organisation were some of the greatest Christian people I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing and working with, and I doubt whether any organisation could have got off the ground the way we did without that kind of support.” Greg Wells To give an example of the source of Greg’s appreciation for just how dedicated the parents were, Greg recalls running a Busy Bee every Saturday at Kalamunda for nearly six years. Indeed a remarkable testimony indicating the breadth

TOP RIGHT: Sally Hopper and Greg Wells in the first year of Kalamunda Christian School.

BOTTOM: A local newspaper article, featuring Sally Hopper playing guitar to her students in front of the Bickley campus.

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A whole school photo of Kalamunda Christian School in its first year. The first principal, Greg Wells, and the first teacher, Sally Hopper, stand side by side in the centre.

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Although operational from the start of the school year, the official opening day was held on the new site on 6 May 1984, just before the commencement of Term Two. Greg Wells was able to report to the Board that the school enrolment stood at just above 40 students. Beth Bailey, wife of Peter Bailey, also volunteered her time to make a canteen available for the children and staff each Monday of the new term. This served as a fund raising venture for the school which had, even with parent assistance, a few loose ends to tie up with regard to their building responsibilities as set down by council regulations.

was then the backwater of Rockingham. The camp was organised by a very interesting man named Ron Withnell.

Ron was a man who would be another Association stalwart; volunteering and eventually working for the Association for nearly thirty years. He would go on to be instrumental in the formation and ongoing prosperity of Armadale Christian College. Armadale Christian College would be a future success story for the Association. Set in picturesque Bedfordale, this campus would come into being with Ron’s assistance, ten years later.

Although the school hoped to find additional funding from the Schools Commission as well as the Education Department, they also knew they must be proactive in attempting to resource themselves and the canteen was an extension of this thinking. Even though the District Superintendent would visit the school in June of that year to make the possible recommendation for funding, the members knew by the time recommendations were made and future grants given, the first school year would be drawing to an end and they therefore continually tried to resource themselves as independently as possible. The Board was in fact at the time hoping to receive enough funding from the government, coupled with their own fundraising, to provide a Year Seven class for the new school in the following year.

The children at Kalamunda Christian School also participated in an interschool carnival early that year and, although not winning many events, Greg was keen to note the students’ competiveness being a highlight of the day. In late April the fund raising efforts of Beth Bailey again saw the children involved in a Bush Night in order to raise money for sporting equipment for the Physical Education program and general reading materials for the classrooms. Again Ron Withnell was on hand and was to be seen on the night keenly demonstrating bush dances by fire light, as well as assuming the role of dance master once the children had learned the steps and required a loud voice to call out the changes. The students raised over $400 for their efforts on the night, a princely sum in 1984, providing plenty of the aforementioned resources.

Greg Wells would have to report back to the Board at mid-year concerning the Superintendent’s visit as well as the successes or failures of the new campus. Kalamunda Christian School was, just as Midland Christian School had been in its first year, subject to the Efficiency Audit by the Education Department in order for the school to be fully registered and recognised by the state government. It is worth noting just how busy and productive the small school was in its first year even though run by such a small staff.

The idea of treading lightly and quietly in order to settle in without incident was not a prospect for Greg Wells and his team. The first half of the new school year saw the students enjoy a range of varied activities. The Years Five and Six children accompanied their counterparts from Midland Christian School for a camp at Lake Cooloongup, in what

The opening day came and went and, despite some gloomy wet weather, there was a magnificent turnout from parents and members; and the day was indicative of the successful year that preceded it. Fred Styants conducted the opening ceremony and the speakers included Joan Grosser who gave a dedication to the parents and the children. An Australian flag was donated by MLA Ian Thompson. Greg Wells saw the achievement of the first year of Kalamunda Christian School, which officially culminated on that opening day, as solidifying his faith in God and strengthening the belief that the Association was continuing to expand the Godgiven commission to set up Christian schools. It was a view which played directly into the growing vision of the regional high school and its feeder primaries, one of which was now Kalamunda Christian School.

The program cover for Kalamunda Christian School’s official opening in 1984.

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TOP LEFT: The winners of Kalamunda Christian School’s first ever swimming carnival ribbons: first is Chad Peacock, second Matthew Oldlands and third Matthew Wells. TOP RIGHT: Sally Hopper with members of Years 1 2 and 3 class on an excursion to the zoo. BOTTOM LEFT: Greg Wells holds up a snake accidently killed at Kalamunda Christian School. In his first year Greg reports that he disposed of eight snakes.“I didn’t kill them because they are a protected species. Some snakes went home in school bags and gave our mums a real fright.” Greg Wells. BOTTOM RIGHT: Kalamunda Christian School students getting into school spirit at their first interschool carnival.

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Greg’s feelings and optimism were confirmed on Friday 1 June 1984 when the District Superintendent came to inspect the school for its official registration. The Education Department was now becoming familiar with SCEA and its schools, as both Midland Christian School and the new High School had passed the Department’s requirements.

Kalamunda Christian School was to be no different, and Greg was delighted to report to the entire Association, Board and members at the mid-year meeting in the new Midland Christian School Hall that not only had the school passed its audit, but had done so with honours. Greg described the report received from the Department as simply glowing.

The new primary school would remain on this unusual site for the next few years, until, with the assistance of a Commonwealth Grant, the Association was able to give up leasing the Bickley property and purchase its own site on Halleendale Road in Walliston. Here they would begin building the new campus where the school stands today. It is noteworthy that the Association was able to flourish under trying financial circumstances and go on to be blessed by God in ways beyond the imaginations of those committed at the very beginning. Small independent schools built by hand with recycled donated materials would go on to be state of the art facilities built by professionals. It is however true for most members and staff alike, that they recall these early struggles and the kind-hearted and generous actions that they inspired in so many, as highlights of their memories of the Association.

For Greg Wells, one of his fondest recollections of the first years of Kalamunda Christian School, which for him illustrated the abundance of enthusiasm and the generous giving of the parents, was seeing car after parked car, lining both sides of the street outside the school as parents arrived each Saturday morning for the working bee. At times there were more volunteers than necessary, and Greg remembers when the school was moving from the Bickley site to its new campus in Walliston, two fathers grabbing the same chair politely and each insisting he would be the one to carry it outside and load it onto Peter Bailey’s waiting flatbed.

A Polaroid photo of constuction of Kalamunda Christian School on the Walliston campus.

ABOVE: Students starting at the new Swan Christian High School campus in Middle Swan. There was still a lot of work to be done, but the school ran successfully.

The Association was now in a strong position, both financially and spirituality, as the fruits of the members’ faith and hard work were clearly apparent. The vision of the regional high school was now a reality; and, with two of its own feeder primary schools secured and up and running, the Association now began to see itself in a holistic manner. The members and the Board were now aware they were not simply running one or two schools, but rather operating as a larger system in which all future decisions must be made with consideration given to the costs and benefits of the entire enterprise.

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Academically, this was happening as early as 1985 as the Association encouraged staff from the High School to liaise closely with their primary school counterparts in order to develop a smooth transition for students crossing the threshold into secondary education. Curriculum discussions were also happening amongst staff from different campuses in all subject areas; and it is noteworthy, with regard to the foresight of the Association, that computing was a priority subject as early as 1984 and was, along with mathematics, the first subject area chosen for this interschool dialogue.

By May 1986 the Swan Christian High School in Middle Swan was operational and staff and students had settled into their new surroundings. A variety of buildings stood on the large rural acreage, which served the school well. Murray Guy remembers how the pocket-sized school appeared in that first year as he continued his voluntary role with the High School Management Committee, as well as taking care of bus maintenance and driving.

“There was the U-block, the toilet block, a couple of rooms past that which used to be the metal and woodwork room, then two rooms off to the side which were the original science department, a home economics department and a canteen, which is now the student services building.”

Murray Guy

Murray was typical of many parent volunteers in the early days of the Association in giving a tremendous amount of time and energy, whilst maintaining his own work commitments. Murray ran a small business along with his ongoing role as a volunteer teacher for SCEA. When asked how he managed the juggling act of running a business as well as volunteering so much of his time, Murray concurs that a juggling act was exactly what it was. Murray suffered a serious back injury which would see him off his feet for the best part of two years but he would rejoin the Association again in 1987, first assisting in the science department for fifteen hours a week. In his first year back, Murray worked for free as the Association found itself tightening its belt. Murray humbly and reluctantly admits that he introduced the idea of student support and student counselling to the High School and, after studying for four years in the area of pastoral care, Murray would be employed as Student Counsellor for the next 23 years.

With the High School now located on the new campus, the Association was preparing to have its first Year Eleven class and it was at this time that Martin Thyer joined SCEA as a member of staff. Martin Thyer, like Greg Wells, came from the government operated Kalamunda high school. Martin was at the time a ten-year veteran of upper school science and was seen as an excellent addition because he brought his knowledge and experience of Chemistry and Human Biology to the Associations’ students who would be enduring the challenge of final year exams for the very first time.

Martin’s children were already in Midland Christian School and he was yet another busy parent member involved as a volunteer throughout the early years.

Martin recalls that he decided to put his young children through the Association’s school as he had quite a lot of contact with the early pioneers through worshiping at Bellevue Baptist Church. Martin remembers the Turpins as well as the Goodchilds being of particular influence in his thinking on Christian education at the time. Gradually, during the early years of the High School’s life, Martin started to hear suggestions from various people that he become a

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part of the Association on a professional level, and although flattered at the invitation, Martin was content with his current role in Kalamunda. Everything changed however with a late night phone call Martin received from Graham Baker before the commencement of the 1986 school year. Graham Baker had worked with Martin previously, also as part of the science department in Kalamunda, and was in Martin’s words, even more experienced than him. Over the years Graham would play a significant role in the life of the Association, particularly at an administrative level; however it was arguably this phone call which he made to Martin on that night, which gained for the Association a gifted and committed Christian who would serve SCEA up to the present day.

Martin believes that God worked through Graham on that night which led to a nearly two hour phone call where the two men discussed the needs and preferred priorities of the school. For Martin, this phone call caused a belief to grow in him, in which he felt God was directing him to move from Kalamunda to the new school,

“That was a phone call of twenty-six years ago and I still remember it. . . . . and right from that point I felt a conviction that that’s where God wanted me to be and (then and there) I’d been given a job that needed to be done.” Martin Thyer Martin would not only bring his experience as a teacher to the Association, but he also had experience as an acting head of the Kalamunda High School Science Department and would be bringing with him a dimension of leadership to both students and the staff. Subsequently, getting in touch with Vivian Hill, the then High School principal, Martin was able to learn that in fact it was not only the High School Science Department that was formulating its own identity, but indeed the entire High School. Martin was aware he was joining an organisation that was still gathering its own momentum and his conviction in the belief that God was leading him is evidenced in his leaving his permanent post at Kalamunda to become a probationary teacher with SCEA.

Martin can be credited with bringing much to the Association in the sense of creating efficient systems and processes across the board from financing, employment and general administration. He recalls that due to the high ratio of volunteer staff there were times when the level of efficiency with regards to record keeping and systemic management exhibited considerable room for improvement. Martin recalls that this was really needed at both a school level and an organisational level. His thoughts are echoed by Murray Guy who remembers many of the smaller processes that were put in place by himself and Dot Smedley, the original office lady who went on to serve the Association for nearly twenty years, as being quite primitive. In the early years of the High School, record keeping and general management were improvised by those who required them as they went along,

“Naturally, beginning a new school, we had to develop new systems for doing things, things like when kids came in sick, the maintenance book, the key register, they were all just little notebooks.” Murray Guy

TOP: Martin Thyer hard at work in one of the original science labs at Swan Christian High School.

BOTTOM: Vivian Hill, left on stage, with other original SCHS teachers at the school’s official Opening Day at the Middle Swan campus.

Martin Thyer saw the challenges that faced the Association in this regard as presenting more opportunities rather than serious challenges. He remembers the strong feeling of fellowship and community at the time and the level to which everyone was open and willing to make the schools run as efficiently as possible. For Martin this was even more confirmation that he was needed at the High School as he describes his nature as having a systematic personality and hesitantly admits to having a gift of administration. A gift which enabled him to make some sound contributions to the Association in this area. Martin would go on to teach at the High School for the next 24 years, eventually becoming the Dean of Studies assisting and equipping upper school students to make the easiest possible transition to tertiary education.

When Martin arrived at Swan Christian High School, it was being led by Vivian Hill, the man chosen to lead the school after the departure of Warwick Connor. Vivian was seen as a quiet, respectful man who was first taken on in an

acting capacity, and later had his position ratified to become the school’s official leader for the next seven years. Alan Campbell describes Vivian as a very gentle man who was chosen as he was seen to be the best person to lead the school at the time. Vivian would encounter many challenges over his tenure with the Association, including a Board who were themselves adjusting to the growth of the organisation, and were encountering some tensions from members who had to continually adjust their thinking from the original vision and weigh it against the reality of running the complex enterprise on a daily basis.

Among the early concerns in 1986 was the issue of the ratio of Associate Membership to full Parent Membership within the Association. Parent Membership required the family to be practicing Christians who fully embraced the Association’s ideology, whereas Associate Membership was to be granted to families not necessarily of a Christian background, but still wishing to reap the benefits of having their children in a Christian school environment. The school had commenced with a fully closed enrolment policy, meaning the students all had to be from practicing Christian families. This soon changed to a ratio of 90% to 10%, with the 10% being allowed on evangelistic grounds. By the time 1986 was underway the 10% concession had grown to 15%. At a Board meeting held on 24 April at Midland Christian School there was robust discussion concerning what some believed to be an out of control “parent to associate” ratio.

While discussing the possibility of accepting more applications from future Associate Members, the issue was raised that should the Board accept these families, they would be running very close to 20% Associate Membership.

The response from the Board was mixed, some seconded the motion that indeed the ratio was too high and that the families must be refused membership, others called for special circumstances for the children in question, some of whom were known personally to members of the Board.

One Board member exasperatedly exclaimed that should the school follow its policy to the letter, they would in fact have to remove 20 students from the three schools, not just reject the families before them tonight. Another member

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suggested a call to prayer in order to find more children from Christian homes which would allow the school to grow further, as well as being able to welcome all interested families without exception.

In the end there was no decision made by the Board that night. The protracted meeting would continue on late into the evening with various matters of interest and concern, both large and small, being discussed at length. Issues such as the future buildings for 1987, bus children’s safety while crossing the Great Northern Highway, staff pay being commensurate to government awards, school funding, loans, constitutional changes and amendments among many others. That particular meeting in April demonstrated how complicated the Association was now becoming as it continued to grow. A motion was put forward and passed that another special all-day meeting should be held to address the backlog of issues needing attention, and the somewhat exhausted members closed the meeting that night at 1:50am.

Vivian Hill led the school through most of the 1980s until his departure in 1990, and some of the fondest memories from fellow staff member Murray Guy were the daily activities one would encounter on the campus which suggested that a potently active Christian atmosphere existed throughout the school community. Murray remembers walking through the campus at lunchtime and recess and seeing prayer meetings being held in classrooms by small student groups, teachers walking down the hallways and across the grounds of the campus singing choruses and praises as well as irregular lunchtime sing-a-longs being held at the back of the High School with Rob Merrells leading staff and students alike on the school’s piano.

Year 12 students and Rob Merrells, about to embark on Prefects’ Camp in 1987. The School’s leadership team helped strengthen the Christian atmosphere in the school.

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Vivian Hill Vivian G.J. Hill was born in March 1946 and raised in a Seventh Day Adventist home.

Vivian’s father was, like his son, a school principal involved in Christian education.

Vivian himself would spend his youth in many different Christian schools throughout Victoria and New South Wales, as the family followed their father and husband from position to position.

Vivian was baptized at the age of 15 and believes he received his call to Christian education at this time. After working with the Seventh Day Adventist church in various capacities, Vivian began studying a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Christian Secondary Teaching in 1981. In 1995 Vivian graduated with a Masters in Educational Management from UWA and was approaching the halfway point of his Doctorate studies, when he had to delay them on account of a family illness.

Vivian has one of the Association’s more eclectic records as he served as a school administrator in all corners of Australia, from Busselton in WA to Hobart in Tasmania as well as a two-year stint in Papua New Guinea. Vivian was also perhaps one of the most experienced Christian educators to work for SCEA in the early years

“By the time I was hired as one of Swan Christian High School’s inaugural teachers I had had plenty of exposure to ‘Christian education’ – all my primary, secondary and tertiary schooling, as well as my subsequent teaching, had been in Christian education.”

After serving the Association for more than ten years, Vivian left to become Principal at Rehoboth Christian College and did so until his retirement in 2009. Vivian now assists his wife in her ministerial endeavours in Melbourne and on King Island but insists he is officially retired.

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For Murray, as for many of the earliest staff members, the changes that have come with the growth of the school have brought a sense of sadness; but it is a change many of the founders recognise as being ultimately inevitable as the Association moved from its very humble, make-shift beginnings to the current status it now enjoys as being the provider of one of the premier educational experiences available in Western Australia. Murray is quick to add that the Christian spirit is still very much alive in Swan Christian College today and by no means suggests it has disappeared, merely diminished somewhat. Devotions still practised at the whole school assemblies, school planting and overseas mission trips, along with many other Christian activities still vibrant in the school today, serve as evidence of this assessment. Murray is also very quick to acknowledge that it is by the grace of God alone that the school is what it is today, and that it is due to God’s ongoing generosity that the school is able to offer what it currently does. Murray believes that although a Christian spirit exists in the current high school, he would like to see a revival of sorts in order to bring the level of Christian activity up to the intensity of those early years.

In early 1987, Vivian Hill submitted a report to the Board which suggested the enrolment numbers at the High School at the time were lower than expected. Although not

SCC student Hayley Cameron holds babies in a Zambian orphanage during a Mission Trip in 2010. The trips are annual and an example of the Christian spirit alive and well at SCC today.

dangerous, they were low enough to warrant the Board’s attention. Vivian was not alone in this as Greg Wells also alerted the Board to the fact that numbers were lower than desirable at the Kalamunda campus; and Greg also urged the Board to consider its options. The Board immediately launched a publicity and word–of-mouth campaign by way of church newsletters in the surrounding areas, as well as additional visits to individual congregations. They also invited other parent-controlled schools in the area to send any students to the Association should they themselves be at capacity. In addition to these measures, the discussion once again turned towards opening the enrolments or at least relaxing the Associate to Parent Member ratio.

Now with three separate schools to populate with students, the Association faced a somewhat difficult time. Wes Mitchell the Association’s Accountant since 1984, who Murray Guy credits with keeping the Association in very good financial shape during his 20 years of service, also had bad news to deliver around this time saying that the Association’s budget was in fact experiencing a large deficit; so much so, that he felt personally uncomfortable delivering such news at the upcoming Annual General Meeting. This period is acknowledged by many as a very trying time for the Association, but one which they would press through together and from which, with God’s guidance, they would emerge intact, although somewhat scathed, on the other side.

1986 and 1987 were also years in which the idea for the additional primary schools in Mundaring and Beechboro were being proposed to the Association. While there were some issues regarding the management of the Association’s growth, as well as Board members and indeed parents finding their feet, attempting to adjust to the new arising challenges, there still remained a strong need and a desire to meet that need for Christian education in the Swan Valley.

Indeed the desire was strong enough to warrant another two primary schools becoming part of the Association’s plan. The Board, as usual, moved into the new challenges, drawing strength and confidence from their faith and pledged to tackle and bring closure to a number of issues before the end of 1987. These included bringing the budget to balance through

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a variety of fundraisers and pledge drives, as well as tackling more immediate concerns like ridding the Kalamunda campus of a plague of Redback spiders currently infesting the property.

When the Board first agreed to investigate the possibility of two more schools, namely in the Beechboro and Mundaring areas, they approached the Education Minister Susan Ryan and enquired as to the possibility of recurrent funding being made available in order to make these schools a reality. It was early in 1987 when the Board received advice from the Minister’s office that they would indeed give approval to the request. It was Brian Goodchild who stated to the Board that he believed the Lord’s hand was clearly visible on the approval letter from the minister and that the Board and the Association should step out in faith and move towards creating the additional campuses which would in turn meet the obvious needs in their respective communities. For some this may seem a perilous choice to commit to not one but two additional schools, when the Association was itself struggling financially. The end result speaks for itself: both schools not only up and running by 1988, but also both schools surviving the aforementioned monetary challenges and, in fact, flourishing in the years to come. By the end of 2011 these two schools are among the proud campuses of the Association now providing a range of Christian education services to children who otherwise may not have experienced such a gift.

Murray Thomas was a widely travelled bank employee working for the ANZ in various locations around Western Australia, from Derby to Kalgoorlie, and many places in between. After some years exploring the state and working in various roles in the banking sector, Murray revaluated his life and decided he needed a change of direction. He decided to sit the mature-age university entrance exam at the age of 25 and subsequently went on to teachers’ college for three years to start a career in education. On completing his studies, Murray answered an advertisement and found himself in an interview being assessed by Association board members Fred Styans, Bill and Joan Grosser, Wes Mitchell and Val Campbell. Murray was welcomed into the

Association, and began his primary school career in 1984 taking over the role which Greg Wells left vacant when he moved to be the principal of Kalamunda Christian School.

Murray found his first years as a teacher with the new school both challenging and rewarding, and he recalls the excitement of being part of a new adventure. Murray, true to the form of many of the Association’s staff, brushes aside with humility the contributions that were made during the holiday periods and weekends as they built and fixed up the small schools. In just two short years, Murray had distinguished himself at Midland Christian School to the point where the Board promoted him to Vice Principal in 1987. It was in June of this year that Murray volunteered to be a part of the Steering Committee for the newly proposed Beechboro Christian School.

Beechboro Christian School would prove to be one of the more interesting ventures taken on by the Association for a number of reasons, but chiefly for its ability to survive and indeed thrive in the face of ongoing near closures, which would leave a long-standing element of uncertainty over its actual existence as a viable school. The Beechboro story is one of tremendous staff dedication, parent involvement, three changes of location, the above mentioned close calls but ultimately, another example of God’s provision over the Association and a testament to the belief shown by the Board to once again step out in faith and faith alone.

TOP LEFT: The first class at Beechboro Christian School in 1988.

ABOVE: A local newspaper announcing the opening of Beechboro Christian School. Every student enrolled in the school is in the picture.

The period from 1988 to 1991 was a period of contradictions and shifting fortunes for the Association and, arguably, one of the toughest periods in terms of cohesion between the Board and the schools and setting the direction and tone for the Association as a whole. On one hand, some of the schools were struggling with enrolment numbers such as Kalamunda, Beechboro and Mundaring; and on the other hand the Board was still moving forward and had ultimate growth as its ongoing focus. The Board was already looking for new land or premises which would be more congenial for Kalamunda families, who were at present commuting their children nearly twenty kilometres to the improvised school site in Bickley; a

distance which for some families was greater than that which they had previously been travelling to the original Midland site. If the Board could move the school to Kalamunda, it was thought that it would probably result in a significant boost in enrolments and, in turn, strengthen the viability of the school.

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At the High School campus in Middle Swan there was a growing perception of staff disunity at this time, and some on the Board questioned the level of harmony at the school and in turn the leadership in addressing some of the tensions that seemed to be stemming from differences of opinion in biblical interpretation and application. Mentions of teachers’ individual beliefs began to be raised at Board meetings and this became an emerging and ongoing discord for some of the more conservative directors. Of particular concern to some Board members were certain charismatic observances practiced by a minority of teaching staff. Vivian Hill had taken over as Principal when the Association required strong biblical leadership, and he had managed to achieve the goals set out by the Board, as well as make the successful transition from the old campus to the new. Now Vivian would face some truly testing years as he entered the latter part of his term as Principal, but he would do so with the support and respect of many of his staff and colleagues.

At the same time the Board was in the process of establishing the two new primary schools in Mundaring and Beechboro by forming the appropriate Steering Committees, but was also thinking well beyond just the

successful establishment of these two new additions. Alan Campbell, always thinking laterally, was in talks with the Coalition of Christian Teacher Educators (CCTE) in an effort to investigate and potentially facilitate the establishment of a Christian University as part of the Association’s longterm plans. This sort of visionary planning and grand scale imaginings was becoming an intrinsic part of the culture of the Association, and it is a culture which is evident across all of the school sites to this day, both in actual tangible facilities as well as the thinking of the staff.

Although a Christian University has yet to be realised as part of what the Association currently offers, its concept was nonetheless among many other grand scale and at-the-time seemingly outrageous propositions, which have in fact come to fruition. This culture of anything being within reach of the Association is again grounded purely in their faith, and it is a culture which is perhaps the Association’s greatest strength and is possibly the strongest element of those early years, which has survived up to the present day.

Although certainly challenged in some areas, it is important to note that the Association was by most accounts

flourishing, particularly when compared to other independent schools and Associations. SCEA’s achievements were in fact beginning to be recognised, not just by local parents and families, but also by other independent Christian schools.

Schools which would contact the Association seeking aid in both a financial sense as well as at times actually requesting SCEA to take some students who could not be provided for at the school in need of assistance. One school in particular which was facing its own difficulties at the time, was forced to remove Years Eleven and Twelve from their program and were seeking a suitable home for their displaced students.

Vivian Hill stepped up to this particular call and agreed to meet the parents of the students personally and would eventually welcome them all to Swan Christian High School.

In October 1987, the Shire of Kalamunda approved the site on the corner of Halleendale Road and Canning Road which was to be the new home for Kalamunda Christian School, which was still then situated in Bickley. The move would centre the school in the area which it was initially intended to service, namely Kalamunda itself. The Association was able to purchase this land outright with the aid of a Commonwealth Assistance Grant.

It is worth noting that as the Association grew and became more practiced at running its operations, it also became more competitive in winning government grants to further the growth and development of the various schools under its charge. In a sense the Association had to prove to the state and federal governments that it was capable of managing a complex and challenging enterprise before it was truly eligible for financial assistance. In effect, funding appears to have been more readily available in later years when, although still necessary, the need was not as urgent as during the formative years when the Association was, at times, surviving on a week to week basis.

Principal Murray Thomas and parent volunteer, Ivor Mofflin, readying Beechboro Christian School during a busy bee.

Kalamunda Christian School’s new school sign erected at their Walliston campus.

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Late in 1987, on 26 November, the Board met again to discuss its future plans, particularly the now expected establishment of the two new primary schools in Beechboro and Mundaring. This meant the Association would now have not only its own High School, but also four separate primary schools, a praiseworthy achievement in such a short time.

Alan Campbell opened the meeting with a devotion from 2 Corinthians chapters 4 and 5. The text was chosen to remind those present that although at times the work they were embarking on was challenging, they must not lose sight of the source of their strength and they must at all times keep an eternal perspective,

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

2 Corinthians 4:18 (NIV) The devotion would be an encouragement for all involved to seek a renewal of the inner self through the Holy Spirit and just as the Apostle Paul urged the young church of Corinth to remain focused on God’s grace, so too the Board reminded itself of its primary motivation for existing and to be mindful and constantly aware of the grace of God that was flooding through the Association. Like the Corinthians before them, the Association and its members were also encouraged to try and channel this grace into an overflowing thanksgiving to the glory of God. Greg Wells was pleased to report that the initiatives of the Board during the year to raise the enrolment numbers at Kalamunda, as well as the imminent move of the school to Kalamunda, had resulted in a projected enrolment of 132 students. A number which was sufficient to warrant six fulltime teaching positions for the following year as it met the state government requirements to have at least 22 students per teacher. With the land approved and student numbers now strong, the future of the Kalamunda campus looked very promising. Greg Wells led the school as well as its seemingly endless rounds of Busy Bees, guiding the staff and parents once again in building another campus from the ground up.

TOP: An aerial view of the newly constructed Kalamunda Christian School in Walliston.

BOTTOM: The first classroom of Beechboro Christian School, built in 1988.

The Beechboro Christian School campus was to be temporarily placed beside the Noranda Church of Christ and would begin its life as a junior primary school catering for 17 students in classrooms housed in second-hand demountables. The Board had to wait until the planning approval came through from the Bayswater Council, but this

approval was granted later in the year in the weeks preceding the Christmas break. The Board, although cautiously confident of the eventual approval, also had contingencies in place should they be required, which included placing the school at various locations in the surrounding area, including another local primary school. Thankfully these were contingencies the Board avoided having to employ.

The plans for Mundaring Christian School were more precarious as the Board at this stage was still unaware exactly where the school would open the following year.

They had been disappointed to hear that their attempts to obtain the site at the Hillston Boys Home, which had been their preference, had been unsuccessful. Again the Board had other processes in place, but would have to wait a little longer before securing a suitable property.

As the new schools were both very small, with Beechboro and Mundaring having only 33 students between them, it was decided that the two schools would serve their first years as extensions of Midland Christian School. Valerie Campbell therefore served as Principal across the three sites, spending three days at Midland and a day each at Mundaring and Beechboro. While Valerie was off site visiting the satellite primary schools Murray Thomas acted as Principal. Murray had also been named Principal-Elect of Beechboro Christian School, and took up the position full time in 1989. The Teachers in Charge of the new campuses would be Mrs Wendy Blackburn at Mundaring and Mrs Mavis Creagh at Beechboro, both of whom ran the schools for the four days in Valerie’s absence.

The Board was finishing the year in a sound position and although new challenges would continue to arise, the Association embraced them along with the opportunities that also followed and tackled each one in the same fashion as they had always done, namely finding their collective strength in their shared faith. The last meeting of the year ended with the Board discussing the possibility of a SCEA magazine in order to keep parents and staff informed of what was happening at each of the schools, as well as hopefully inspiring all members to continue faithfully along the path they were all travelling together. The Association

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still had much work to do to realise their vision and they entered the end of year break with a rededication of their faithful intentions.

One of the final motions passed by the Board in 1987 was for the organisation to now actively seek land throughout Western Australia which might be seen as suitable for the establishment of new Christian schools. The Board was now arguably thinking nationally and the motion that was carried, as the meeting passed the midnight hour, was yet again another example of their belief in God’s glorious hand in their course of action and their refusal to stifle the possible achievements of the Association by worldly constraints and limitations. As the Apostle Paul pressed for the eternal perspective in the minds of the early church, so too the Association took its direction from a Heavenly source.

The students of Beechboro Christian School in 1988 with their teacher Mavis Creagh.

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In the Shade He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

Psalm 91:1 (NIV)

5. In the Shade Moving towards 1990, the Association was now in a very different class from what it had been in just a few years earlier. Now with five schools under its direction, the future of SCEA looked very promising and the growth which had taken place in such a short time was by all accounts expected to continue into the coming years. The new Kalamunda Christian School was under way, and Beechboro Christian School had been approved to commence in Noranda. With the five schools also came five different sets of challenges, and a broader mindset was required of the Board and of the members to measure the needs of both the Association and each individual school when making significant decisions.

The Board’s financial requirement to complete the current capital works that were taking place across the many campuses now stood at just over $300,000. The majority of these works at this time were taking place on the Swan Christian High School campus and at the new Kalamunda site. In the past, all loans which were taken out by the Association to provide for Capital Works and building projects were presented to the members at the Association’s AGM, where the members would pledge their financial support in servicing such loans before the course of action went ahead.

The large figures now being dealt with made little difference to past protocol; and business continued to be handled through the same processes as previously. This in turn also enabled the Members’ vision of SCEA to change and grow, as they saw what was being proposed and eventually passed by their ambitious Board.

Bruce Warrington, a long-time parent member who served on the Board for many years and was known for his openness, honesty and straight forward talking, remembers that although figures of this size were being discussed and indeed passed at the AGM, by no means did this mean the Association was flush with a surplus of funds. Bruce recalls among the chief mechanisms of fundraising were apple drives and car washes and and many bags of apples were sold in the community to pay for carpeting, light fittings and any number of small, but immediate, school needs. Bruce remembers a particular Busy

Bee at the new Mundaring site in 1988 where the parents came every weekend for twelve months to provide the best possible school for their children. On this particular occasion Bruce witnessed something which truly encapsulated the atmosphere and commitment of parent involvement at the time,

“It was because we didn’t have any money, we were up there pouring concrete paths and I saw people pull money out of their pocket to pay the concrete truck driver as he drove away.”

Bruce Warrington One of the challenges that continued to face the Board at this time was the continuing debate regarding open or closed enrolments, an issue on which almost every Member had a firm opinion. Bruce recalls when he became involved as a Parent Member, chiefly in connection with the new Mundaring School, the enrolment policy was set at 75% Christian family enrolments and 25% non-Christian family enrolments. However even this figure which some saw as a ratio out of balance with the school’s initial vision, was proving very difficult to maintain. For example, if a school was currently running true to the set of approved guidelines and was approached by a non-Christian family for student enrolment, the school would effectively have to find three new Christian students to preserve the desired proportion.

For many members, the tension between the current policy and the arguments for loosening the enrolment guidelines further was very close to their hearts. While there were opposing arguments, even those who were against an open enrolment policy could understand and appreciate the reasoning. For many non-Christian families in the community, enrolment at a Christian school could in reality be the only exposure to Christianity they may ever receive in their lifetime; a benefit which few could strongly disagree with.

The policy of the Association would in fact change rather dramatically a few years later, much to the consternation of some members. However it is worth noting that although the enrolment policy of SCEA has relaxed considerably since its inception, the requirement for all teachers to be practicing Christians has not.

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Peter Bailey (right) and his faithful truck at a Mundaring Christian School busy bee. Helping him out are, from left, Stephen Scott, Wendy Blackburne, Daniel and Linley Hendriksen.

The degree to which a Christian teacher can influence a student’s life is perhaps clearly illustrated by an activity taken in the early years of the High School by Rob Merrells who invited his students to a New Testament-A-Thon held in his backyard, where the students took turns reading non-stop through Matthew to Revelation. The activity was a sleepover, as they started in the morning and read through until just before dawn the following day. Rob Merrells, who today is both a Mathematics teacher at the current Swan Christian College and also a part-time preacher and author, states that the interaction with students and the pastoral effect one can have on their lives is at the heart of what it is to be a teacher,

“ . . . the guts of it is in caring for students. I have grieved with some, prayed with some, counselled some, pleaded with some, punished some and of course taught at least 4,000 over the 40 years of teaching. They have seen me angry, tired, patient, furious, fed up, desperate and some have even laughed at my jokes. But the reward is that occasionally some thank me for the input I have had on their lives – but it’s rarely for the Maths.”

Rob Merrells

ABOVE LEFT: Having an effect: Rob Merrells baptising student Kathy Coe on a Swan Christian High School Hiking Camp in 1985.

ABOVE RIGHT: Students having fun settling in to Swan Christian High School new Middle Swan campus.

The story of the Association’s flagship campus in Middle Swan is also the story of three very different and stylistically diverse leaders who have shaped and guided the school through its various eras and met on their own terms the personal and professional challenges that came with each passing phase. The three principals who arguably saw the most dramatic changes to the campus were Vivian Hill (1984-1990), Terry Parsons (1990-1999) and Dr Ian Lambert (1999-2005). Men who, although palpably different in approach, all shared a common desire to fulfil the expression of Jesus Christ through a student’s educational experience. All were committed and experienced Christian educators before taking the leadership role at Swan Christian College, and all sought to develop a clear understanding of what it was to provide Christian education, not only to the students but also to the entire teaching staff.

Vivian Hill was the first long-term principal at Swan Christian High School and was given the unenviable task of seeing the school move through three separate campuses, eventually settling well into the large rural block in Middle Swan. Vivian was regarded as a very godly man who was able to instil an atmosphere of goodwill and collegiality amongst the young and eager staff. Rob Merrells, who in the early years served as Vivian’s deputy, describes Vivian as a humble man who was able to maintain strong contact with staff and students. Vivian was particularly effective in his relationships with students as throughout his term as Principal he

always took classes and had hands on, face to face experience with the children and their respective needs. Vivian was also seen by staff as having a communal approach to school policy and would consult and consider as many opinions as possible, before making decisions which would have a wide impact at the school.

Perhaps the chief indicator of Vivian’s leadership style, and where his heart and priorities lay, was his constant reliance on prayer and fellowship when in the process of directing the High School. Vivian would hold staff meetings where Board directives would be discussed at length, followed by a time of prayer and open discussion. The staff and Vivian together would then commit to policy based on the direction they felt God was leading them. As the Board for the most part was not made up of educational specialists, there were times when the directives that were being handed down in practical areas such as discipline or uniform standards, were not as easily implemented or indeed beneficial to the school as the Board may have imagined.

For Vivian these moments caused some tension between him as Principal and members of the Board. In fact Vivian and his dedicated staff were one part of a three part system which controlled the school. Vivian not only had to keep the Board happy, but was also answerable in a daily sense to the parents of the students, some of whom took the notion of a parentcontrolled school quite literally.

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may be called on to become a foundation teacher. Vivian recalls finding patience and encouragement coming from God and remembers how thrilled he felt when an offer was in fact presented. Vivian was a past member of the Seventh Day Adventist Church and had worked professionally as a Seventh Day Adventist school administrator, and he recalls the Board was very interested in his current faith, before fully endorsing his employment.

Swan Christian High School staff having fun in the strong collective spirit Vivian Hill says characterised his time as Principal at Swan Christian High School.

Vivian, although humble and community-minded when it came to his leadership style, was by no means out of his depth as a Christian educator and had numerous years of experience teaching and leading schools throughout Australia, even serving as a deputy principal on a mission boarding school in the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea. Vivian had himself been exposed to Christian education throughout his own schooling and was probably one of the more qualified and experienced people in the organisation to take the role of principal.

Vivian had moved from Tasmania in 1982 to take a short sabbatical from teaching and tried his hand at selling insurance for AMP. He recalls that after a moderately successful year he still felt the call from God to return to the classroom and resume his teaching career. With his young children in Rehoboth Primary at the time, Vivian learnt of what was happening at Midland Christian School and his interest was piqued when he heard of the proposed plan for a high school. Vivian put his name forward and was initially told that the quota for teachers had been filled, however should additional students enrol there was a possibility he

“I can remember having to undergo at least a couple of rigorous interviews concerning my theology before SCEA was satisfied that I was sufficiently ‘orthodox’ to be employable.

I appreciated the Christian charity and understanding shown by Joan and Bill Grosser who were the chief ‘vetters’ during this process.”

Vivian Hill Vivian recalls his time at Swan Christian High School as being filled with a strong collective spirit, shared by staff and parents who wanted the students of the school to get something far superior to what was being offered by the secular state system. Like many other principals of the Association, Vivian is also very quick to credit the enormous amount of time and money volunteered by parents in order to achieve this end. Vivian believes that his biggest challenge was dealing with, and answering to a Board who, although passionate and dedicated Christian parents, were not educational experts and at times may not have appreciated the incompatibility of the two very different roles.

“What public hospital would consider (enlisting) ten people that came along off the street and co-opting them on to a hospital Board of Management? This is almost what was happening in SCEA.” Vivian Hill Vivian felt so strongly on the matter that at the AGM held in April of 1990 he presented a motion to change to the Association’s constitution which would, if carried, ensure that the Board would always have at least one education

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professional serving to instruct on policy and direction the wording of Vivian’s motion was,

“in the event that the Board does not have amongst its number at least one educationalist then the Board SHALL co-opt a suitable qualified person for the balance of the year”.

The motion was debated at the meeting and required, as all special motions do, a 75% majority from all eligible voting members to be carried. After a significant time of discussion the motion, attracting only 70% of the vote, was not carried.

Vivian would witness a change in the culture of the Association, one which echoed Alan Campbell’s assertion that in order for the Association to grow, it had to transform from being a parent run and homespun entity to a government funded and professionally built organisation; an organisation which would be answerable and subject to secular government regulations. Vivian credits Alan Campbell with being the individual who made the growth possible though his tireless work and numerous government contacts and lobbying. Vivian does note with some sadness that in choosing the government-funded route, the Association was taking a drastic turn from its initial roots, as now any voluntary contributions were seen by the government as monetary contributions, which, in turn, would result in SCEA being penalised financially. For some in the Association, this caused upset as they were effectively handing back some of the control of the schools to the secular government; a secular government, whose educational policies and practices, the parents had originally united to avoid.

Vivian Hill would continue as Principal until his contract ended in 1990 when the Board chose to look for another principal to lead the High School into its next phase of development. Although some staff, as well as Board members, were unhappy to see Vivian replaced as Principal, he would remain on staff for a short while as Deputy to the school’s new leader. It is worth noting that the teaching staff of Swan Christian High School, who were called to a special meeting by the Board in order to inform them of the change,

were instrumental in this offer of continued employment being extended to Vivian Hill. The teachers had actually requested that the termination of Vivian’s principalship be rescinded, but a compromise was reached and an offer of employment in another role was the result. The Board decided it would be prudent to hold a Special Members’ Meeting to inform the parents of the Association of the current developments rather than members finding out second hand from the children that the principal had been replaced. At this meeting the extent of the members’ disgruntlement became truly evident.

In response to significant staff disapproval, the Board set up an Advisory Committee to investigate the processes and procedures through which Vivian Hill’s departure had taken place. The report from this committee was to be read at the Special Meeting and feedback from members would then be heard. Aspects of the report included that it was felt by the Advisory Committee that the Board had in fact acted hastily in their dismissal of the principal and were not sensitive to the ramifications their decision would have on his future career. It was also felt by the Committee that some Board members had been lax in their compassion towards Vivian and had conducted themselves in a manner below what was expected of sound Christian leadership.

The Advisory Committee, in the spirit of the Association’s foundations, stressed that a Godly solution be sought for all concerned in the matter and that this alone should be the priority of the meeting. The Advisory Committee’s report urged the members and the Board that the hurt and tension caused to some could be overcome only by a Christian openness and willingness to make matters right, one with another, under God.

ABOVE: Swan Christian College’s entrance in the late 1980s, top, and as it is today, bottom. Its material growth is due in large part to government funding, a policy which caused some controversy in the Association.

Part of the process of making matters right was an evaluation of the Board’s leadership. After the report was read the floor was opened for a frank question and answer session from the members to the Board.

After considerable discussion a motion was put forward that the meeting had no confidence in the SCEA Board of Directors. After a time of prayer and some further discussion the motion was put to a vote with 231 in favour, 141 against and two abstaining.

In perhaps one of the more tumultuous chapters in the Associations history they had in the space of a few weeks lost a principal as well as an entire Board. It was agreed that the Board would continue to serve for a further five weeks and new elections would be held in October to establish new leadership for the Association.

Brian Goodchild was among the casualties of that evening and the Special Meeting marked the end of nearly ten years of his service to the Association. Brian moved to Canberra for work in the following years but subsequently returned to serve the Association again upon his return to Western Australia.

“We felt the school had outgrown the principal but (on that night) there were enough parents who disagreed with us.” Brian Goodchild The caretaker Board continued to meet and work through the day to day issues facing the Association. The man who would eventually replace Vivian Hill was Terry Parsons, a Queensland Christian school administrator found through advertisements and calls for expressions of interest in each of the State’s major newspapers. Terry was walking into a somewhat unsteady environment as, along with support shown by parent members towards Vivian Hill, there were a significant number of staff who eventually resigned from the school as a direct result of the change of principal. Some of these staff held key positions within the school and fulfilled vital leadership roles. Terry Parsons therefore entered as the Association’s high school principal, at a time when the campus now needed significantly strong leadership as well renewed confidence and stability.

Terry was working as Acting Deputy, Chaplain and Head of Religious Education in the Queensland independent Christian school, John Paul College. John Paul was very similar to SCEA as it would be, in 1991, celebrating its ten year anniversary and Terry himself, much like many of the staff working with SCEA, had been a part of the Queensland College since the early years of its inception. John Paul College was also similar in the sense that it was largely

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ecumenical in philosophy as well as student population, with the school catering for a variety of Christian backgrounds from Catholic to Charismatic, to Uniting and Anglican and, as Terry recalls, almost everything in between.

Terry remembers reading what seemed to be a fairly generic advertisement for a principal wanted in Perth and admits to being interested almost immediately. Terry had risen through the ranks of John Paul and had moved from classroom teacher to Head of Department to eventual Deputy and felt that God was calling him to take what he had learned from his time at the Queensland school, to this similarly new Association in the west. Terry is a jovial man who brought his very good humoured and affable nature with him to Western Australia, and remembers with a smile that when presenting the possibility of the move to his wife, he said if the interview process didn’t work out, he would at least get to see Perth at someone else’s expense.

Terry wrote a letter expressing his interest in the role to Alan Campbell and mentioned in the letter that he felt God’s hand was guiding him towards the position, and he believed he had the necessary background and skill to contribute positively to the Association. The letter resulted in an invitation to come to Perth, and Alan Campbell was the first to meet Terry and welcome him to what would eventually become his new school. Terry recalls that he was shown tremendous hospitality by the Campbells, as well as many other members of the Association who he met on his first visit. In particular Terry remembers Fred Styants, who at the time was called back to serve on the newly-elected Board to bring a sense of stability, as the Association moved into its next era.

TOP: Swan Christian High School staff in 1991; Terry Parson’s first year as Principal.

BOTTOM: Terry Parsons with his wife and children in 1991, his first year at Swan Christian High School.

Fred presented Terry with a book by the famed and highly respected academic and author Allan Bloom. It was Bloom’s seminal work “Closing of the American Mind” which examined higher education in the modern democratic age and where he saw it failing entire generations of students. Terry would read through the substantial text over the next few weeks and would take from it valuable lessons which he later incorporated into the High School. Terry states that he felt that the book was really the clearest message he received from the Board as to what they wanted from his leadership, from the text,

“Education in our times must try to find whatever there is in students that might yearn for completion, and to reconstruct the learning that would enable them autonomously to seek that completion.” Allan Bloom, Closing of the American Mind Terry recalls that he was unaware of the political complexities of the school that he would encounter once he took on the role as Principal. He states he was not informed that the previous principal had been removed and only found out once he had accepted the offer of employment. Terry was also unaware that the previous principal would be staying on at the school and likewise only discovered Vivian Hill would be his deputy, after being given the job.

Terry remembers that it took about ten minutes to figure out just how heated and wounded the culture of the school had become,

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“. . once I got there, there was considerable factionalism. I had to do tough things to make sure there was a firm line of authority because clearly (some) teachers had been involved in the politicking and the dismissal of the Board. …. there were too many conflicts of interest between staff who were part of the management of the school and part of the governance of the Association, which was a recipe for fireworks and disaster.” Terry Parsons Caroline Blake who served as the deputy principal for the high school for many years remembers the time of transition as being particularly hard for many staff members, especially those who were not used to the distinctly different leadership style that Terry had brought with him. Caroline states clearly that indeed Terry was almost rigidly opposite to Vivian’s consultative style, and often withheld information from staff if he felt there was little value in discussing it with them.

Caroline remembers her experience working under Terry as robust and very straightforward, which enabled her to grow into the confident leader she is today. She recalls that they always had a strong and direct relationship, and she would continuously challenge and engage with Terry on issues if she believed they were of necessary importance.

“He was an interesting character but he would listen to you if you were straight with him.”

Caroline Blake Caroline remembers that Terry’s approach was also different not only in his dealing with staff, which at times could be dictatorial, but also with his interaction with the Board. He was, unlike Vivian, prepared to follow the Board’s lead regardless of whether the majority of staff believed it was the best thing for the school or not. Indeed, it appears that Terry frequently bypassed involving the staff at all in many key areas of his decision making. Terry’s mandate, given to him by the Board, was to grow the school, open the enrolment policy to encourage more student numbers, and, at the same

Terry Parsons, centre front, with the 1991 Swan Christian High School prefects. He felt that to reach the parents, it was important to build relationships with the students.

time, maintain the Christian basis upon which the Association was established. Terry was informally given the task of balancing the flag ship school between the Association’s ideals and the real world concerns of running a sustainable high school. The Association needed more students in order for it to grow and at the same time the students still required a strong Christian education in order for their own growth as individuals. Terry’s mission was indeed a difficult one.

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growth. Terry saw that the projects taking place within the Association such as Mundaring Primary, Beechboro Primary, Kalamunda Primary and even the Emmaus/Armadale rescue, would all contribute to the end goal of increasing the student numbers of Swan Christian High School. Terry therefore saw it as prudent to see most of the spare funds available from the Association channelled into these various projects, as they would be investments from which the High School would eventually reap significant rewards. Terry admits some of his staff were unhappy with some financial restrictions he had put in place at the school, but recalls they were never severe enough to cause detriment to the students’ experiences.

Terry credits his ability to bring control to the difficult situation he found himself in as initially stemming from being as approachable and open as possible to the students on the campus, including an open door policy to his own office and an open invitation should any of the students wish to discuss their concerns. Terry’s intention was that this would help promote the unification of the school that he desired, by not only bringing the students to trust in his leadership, but this policy would also bring a sense of stability and control, as the children would communicate to their parents what was happening on campus.

“I had to build as many relationships as quickly as possible, and the best way to affect parental opinion is through the students, (with them) finding that you are approachable, that you’re reasonable and, although you don’t always do what they want, they know the reasons why.”

Terry Parsons Terry’s leadership and approach to changing and healing the culture of the school saw many key staff resign from their positions. Terry remembers the small but substantial exodus which occurred over 1991 and 1992. He acknowledges the loss of some staff was in part directly due to his style as school leader. Terry today makes no apologies for his approach to leadership and further states that the loss of some staff was in fact a good thing for the progress of the high school, particularly for those that remained behind.

Terry reflects on the period of change philosophically,

“When the big trees in the rain forest fall over, the little trees grow up.” Terry Parsons Some of the staff who Terry believed were able to flourish, as the new culture formed at the school included Nancy Patterson, who Terry appointed as Senior Mistress. This position involved being the spiritual and emotional guide for the girls of the high school, a role in which Terry remembers Nancy thriving. Nancy later moved to teach English as a second language in Sydney and Terry would choose Caroline

Although Terry Parsons managed a tight budget, the students didn’t miss out. These computers were advanced technology in the early 1990s.

Blake to act as her replacement, eventually offering her the role as Deputy Principal in 1995.

Terry saw in Caroline a well calibrated and trusted member of the school community who he had seen work very well under pressure in her previous roles, and who he could rely on to help him lead the school through arguably one of its toughest stages. Terry makes mention that one only has to look at Caroline’s track record to see clear evidence of her suitability for management and her tenacity and commitment to her role. Terry fondly refers to Caroline as the “keeper of the secrets” as she has been a stabling presence in the high school under four different principals, in all its various phases of growth and development.

Terry states that amongst his proudest achievements of his tenure as Principal was managing a tight budget and always, along with Valarie Campbell at Midland Christian Primary, delivering a yearly balance sheet well and truly in the black.

The importance of budgeting for the High School at the time was one part of a holistic view the Association was taking at the time, with regard to growing the Association, as well as building its infrastructure and resources to cater for that

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“Beechboro was trying to find a home, Kalamunda had just had a build and was at the start of repaying its capital, so I felt I must run with a modest surplus. As a result, I asked the staff to make a few bricks with not all the straw they would have liked to have, so (although) they would have appreciated more things than I gave them to play with, the general education of the students didn’t suffer. The robust position the Association now enjoys can be attributed to the discipline of Midland Christian School and Swan Christian High School during this time.”

Terry Parsons In 1996 Terry began a process which would eventually see a simple, yet significant change to the culture of the High School, whereby he began discussions to rename the campus ‘Swan Christian College’. The move to the more prestigious title was a strategy that Terry believed would differentiate what the school stood for, compared to its government school counterparts. For Terry the name change would signify a group of people living under a common set of beliefs, moving forward in unity; and it was a change which would arguably begin a larger cultural shift in the following years, as later principals would likewise set out to elevate the school in terms of its status.

Swan Christian College in the early 1990s, under the principalship of Terry Parsons

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As the school was being transformed both from within and without, Terry credits the networking done by Alan Campbell, which facilitated the smoothest possible transition for the Association to collectively re-imagine the High School as now more of a College experience. Terry believes that membership of Christian Parent Controlled Schools (CPCS) was a prime example of this successful networking. Terry was becoming aware that in order for the Association to thrive and indeed for the soon-to-be college to take its place amongst the state’s best schools, they would collectively have to prepare themselves for, and be open to, not only people that agreed with the philosophy of the Association, but also to those who were almost violently opposed to its foundational principles.

“If you don’t evaluate and embrace the criticism you’re not going to grow and you also won’t have the tools to defend those criticisms . . . our memberships of CPCS was a good thing, it was lovely as a principal from the backwater of Perth to meet with other principals from Sydney and Adelaide and have fellowship with them for a week and hear that they had 90 percent of the same problems we had, those principal to principal peer relationships were fantastic.”

Terry Parsons Terry was never afraid to weigh in on the more controversial issues which ran through the organisation. Although coming from an ecumenical education background and having a firm appreciation for the different denominations of Christianity of which the Association was comprised, he was also firm in his beliefs and counts among his proudest achievements as Principal as introducing a formal dance for the upper school students who had hitherto been denied the opportunity. The restriction on dancing in the past was predominantly due to the Baptist contingent within the Association frowning on such occurrences taking place. Terry is quick to add that although he was leading the students and parents in a new direction, he approached the sensitive issue with his usual

Excited students pose for photos at the first ever Swan Christian College Year Eleven Supper Dance.

openness, offering exemptions for any parents or students wishing to refrain from the evening.

For those students who wished to participate fully in the festivities, Terry organised local ballroom dancers Malcolm and Rhonda Robinson to come into the school to teach the children the repertoire of foxtrots, lindy hops and waltzes, for which they received a near volunteer salary. Terry remembers the time with affection and recalls the Robinsons were so enamoured by the school and the students themselves, that the next year they enrolled their own children and became part of the SCEA family.

As early as February 1995, a committee comprising of Alan Campbell, Valerie Campbell and Terry Parsons was formed in order to plan, design and facilitate the required infrastructure to move Midland Christian School up to join, what was then, Swan Christian High School. The reasons for the move included a growing population at Midland Christian

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School, the fact that the railway land was leased by the Association and not owned, as well as the growing disparity between the volunteer-built Midland campus, compared to the other newly and professionally built schools within the Association. Many members recall the condition of the Midland Christian School campus, with some describing its homespun appearance as looking like it was being held together by baling wire and chewing gum.

To illustrate just how problematic the physical condition of Midland Christian School was in 1995 one can look to a long-term staff member who recalls visiting it for the first time as a prospective parent. Dr Martin Bent, who is currently the Chief Operations Officer with the Association, remembers seeing the primary school by the railway tracks for the first time when visiting prospective schools for his young family. Martin had emigrated from England to work at Curtin University and was based at the University’s Agricultural faculty in Northam.

Dissatisfied with the government schools on offer locally and the troubling influence the environment was having on his son’s social and spiritual development, Martin and his wife Caroline set off to find a school which would reinforce the Christian values being taught in their home. Martin recalls his first impression of the school in 1995, the year before the move,

“After we were shown around Guildford Grammar we drove to the next school on the list and found ourselves at this place near the railway tracks with these dilapidated transportable buildings that looked awful and I said to Caroline I don’t think we even need to go in there.” Martin Bent After driving away without getting out of the car, Caroline and Martin had a picnic lunch in the Swan Valley and there discussed what to do next. Martin was convinced there was little point in even considering the smaller school; however Caroline insisted they return after lunch for their scheduled meeting as she had heard very good things about the primary school from friends she had made at their local church. Martin remembers agreeing to go back and in order to get to the principal’s office, he and Caroline had to negotiate a narrow corridor where the floorboards would undulate as they walked and carpeting would shift and move almost carrying them along. They were met by Alanda Binstead who Martin remembers gave them a wonderful welcome and from there they were introduced to the school’s principal Valerie Campbell.

The experience of Martin and Caroline with Midland Christian over the following weeks, exemplifies the concerns which the Association were acting upon in moving the school to the Middle Swan site. First they were told there was little chance of there being enough room in the school for their son as theYear Six class was at capacity. Secondly Martin still had severe reservations as to what his children would think of moving to a new school in such poor condition. The Bents, however, decided that based on the strength of the welcome and sense of fellowship, professionalism and vision of Valerie Campbell and her Deputy, Mike Pitman, they would return

to the upcoming Open Day and let their children experience the campus for themselves. Valerie Campbell called Caroline later and informed her should they be able to facilitate their two children at the school, they could also conduct the parent interviews on the same day.

Martin describes the Open Day as a hive of activity with children swarming all over the school and crammed into the demountable classrooms with parents in tow. He realised as he watched his sons and daughter experience the mayhem with joy and excitement, that what he was seeing through adult eyes, was not at all what his children were seeing from their perspective. Martin remembers one teacher’s classroom in particular, which had a cardboard whale nearly the length of the room hanging from the ceiling. He recalls while the adults were bumping into it with their heads, the children were looking up in awe. It was not long into the evening when both Caroline and Martin knew that Midland Christian School, although somewhat unorthodox in appearance, had at its heart a committed Christian staff and a loving learning environment, which would be more than suitable for their now very excited children.

Doreen Smith, who was chair of the school council at Midland at this time and would later go on to serve the Association at Ellenbrook Christian College, was one of the ladies who conducted Martin and Caroline’s parent interview and it is perhaps this part of Martin’s experience, which truly speaks volumes with regards to the condition of the Midland facilities,

“Doreen and another council member interviewed us that evening and the only place to conduct the interview was in what I thought to be the broom cupboard, no windows, really no room at all and the four of us in there sitting on chairs, pretty well with our knees touching.” Martin Bent Therefore for reasons of space, appearance and prospective students being reached, the move to the Middle Swan campus took place the following year. With the new addition of the primary school, the Association now had what Terry Parsons refers to as a one-stop shop for quality education

Children playing at Midland Christian School’s modest but jovial Woodbridge campus.

for an entire family. Both Terry and Valerie were delighted with the move as it improved the growth prospects of both the upper and primary schools. Terry recalls discussing with Valerie at length the possibilities and opportunities which would open up when the two schools were finally merged.

Terry recalls the possibility of creating a middle school on the campus being part of the ongoing dialogue as to how the campuses could be run, or indeed, one principal running the entire campus as the sole leader. Terry states today that he believed it would be beneficial for the students to keep the respective principals in charge of their own areas of expertise in place, as he was definitely more interested in the upper school and believed Valerie was likewise more focused and passionate about primary education.

Terry says the move was smooth with the primary school students being very excited to move into brand new buildings

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with considerably more space and facilities. The high school students would also benefit from the added infrastructure that followed, which included new tennis courts and a ring road to the school’s entrance.

Terry would serve the rest of his term as Principal into the following year taking his leave in 1997. Among Terry’s proudest memories of his time as Principal was using a block grant to build a new library on the campus, as well as witnessing the co-location of the two schools which formed the beginning of the College as it stands today. Terry also notes with fondness the setting up of the sister school in Japan, the Buddhist-based Fujiyoshida High School situated at the foot of Mt Fuji.

Terry went on to spend a year working at Kingsway College as the Dean of Studies and another year working with the Curriculum Council of Western Australia, and today he operates an independent secondary school in Midland catering for educationally alienated youth who are at risk in the community. Terry directly credits his time spent with Swan Christian Education Association as giving him the skills and ability to be able to run an independent school on his own, which unquestionably is of great value to the local community.

In 1997 Dr Ian Lambert was working for the National Institute for Christian Education (NICE), a New South Wales based

TOP LEFT: Midland Christian School on the move: building pads ready to be built on at the Middle Swan campus.

ABOVE: Midland Christian School’s new campus in Middle Swan 1995.

training organisation which seeks to equip schools, teachers and administrators around Australia to think biblically and critically about the Christian educational process. Many members of Swan Christian College have been encouraged to study externally through the Institute over the years, with many receiving their Masters in Christian education. This trend in the Association’s culture was perhaps one of the first influences of Ian Lambert’s appointment as the next principal of Swan Christian College, as he built upon the fledgling culture of study and learning and solidified a tradition of

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exploring through professional development just what Christian education actually looked like in practice.

It was Ian’s wife, Alison, who saw an advertisement for a principal wanted by the Association on the notice board at one of NICE’s conferences, which she believed matched his skills and strengths perfectly. Ian admits it seemed rather uncanny that such a befitting advertisement was placed on the notice board where a seminar was taking place, and he and his wife decided to pray on any decision they might

make in the future. The following day another colleague of Ian’s also presented him with a copy of the advertisement and suggested that it sounded perfect for his area of expertise. This sparked yet more prayer and deliberation for Ian, and after a short time he decided to call Alan Campbell in Perth, who Ian says convinced him to submit an application. Before long he found himself flying to Perth to sit through the interview process and, after being offered the job as Principal of the school, moving to Western Australia in December of 1997.

When Ian Lambert began in January the following year, the student population of the High School stood at just over 600 with the primary schools of Kalamunda, Beechboro, Mundaring and Midland feeding into the campus, as the students began their secondary careers. Ian was at the helm of the School as it experienced strong growth coming from the groundwork laid down by the Association; and, within eight years, its number would grow to nearly one thousand students. Ian credits these strong enrolment numbers as being crucial to infrastructure development within the College, which in turn enabled the school to become more spiritually aligned with all the other schools in the Association, as the majority of all students would spend some schooling at what was to become Swan Christian College. Ian remembers enjoying very healthy and mutually supportive relationships with the principals of the other schools as well as his own Heads of Departments and cites his involvement in the planning of what became Ellenbrook Christian College, as an example of this inclusive, holistic and shared experience.

Ian admits that his first impressions of the High School were that it looked like it needed freshening up in its appearance, as well as a refocusing of its Christian foundations and ideals. Ian felt a makeover of sorts and a revitalisation of the College’s core beliefs would align the staff and student team with the intended Christian vision. Ian cites Alan Campbell as being a man with whom he felt a kinship, as Alan seemed to share his ability to think boldly and attempt to realise large-scale plans. For Ian, the team that he found himself surrounded with when he arrived at SCEA instilled

in him a sense that God had aligned key people and resources to take SCEA through a considerable period of growth and development.

Ian began immediately by officially changing the name of the school to Swan Christian College and engaging the marketing group, Image 7, to redesign key aspects of the school’s presentation. This included school uniforms, the school crest, fonts used in signage around the Campus, as well as any literature which came out from the school.

The one aspect which Ian did not change was the school’s motto “Wisdom is of God”. This remained firmly in place as evidence of Ian’s own focus and priorities. Ian admits there were a few but significant objections to the changes he made when he arrived, none more vocal than when he implemented his decision to change the faction names, which had previously been books of the bible (Corinthians, Romans, Ephesians and Hebrews). Ian believed it would be more pertinent to have the house factions named after significant Christian men and women who had impacted the State through their faith and vocation. The rechristened House names which still stand today are Bennet (a Christian Aboriginal Educator), Bell (founder of numerous Christian Charities and business), Mungulu (an Aboriginal lay minister), Kennedy (Baptist Church planter in the wheatbelt) and Shenton (first mayor of Perth). Although changing the names of the House factions, the bible verses which inspired the original names, are still to be seen on the house flag of each faction, which hang proudly on the gymnasium wall today.

These aesthetic changes which Ian implemented in his first year were to be the beginning steps in a revitalisation and a reimagining of the College’s, and indeed the Association’s, potential. Ian saw a school that was strong in student numbers and staff commitment, but at the same time was slightly insular and needed to reach out more to both the local and wider educational community. Ian’s vision was to expand the College, not just in terms of student numbers and financial resources, but to actually reinvent and inspire a new culture of academic and Christian excellence and do so on a national and eventually global level. Ian describes his vision and how he and the staff went about achieving it,

Dr Lambert chatting with student Sandy Bent during his time as Principal.

“I wanted the College to be clearly Christian, strongly academic with a strong sport and arts focus, well connected in broader educational circles and intelligently Christian in terms of our educational philosophy. We wanted to inspire and embrace students, staff and families who had a commitment to transformational leadership in the world. We were open to non-Christian families and at the same time clear about our beliefs, values and mission. We wanted to be non-judgmental but at the same time challenging and inspiring.” Ian Lambert One of the staff who had worked under previous principals and who witnessed the culture change at the college was Clive Smith, a teacher who joined the College in the late eighties and went on to benefit directly from Ian’s leadership and vision. Ian encouraged all staff to thoughtfully, prayerfully and academically examine the nature of what it meant to deliver true Christian education. The staff were encouraged openly to engage with institutions such as NICE as well as bodies such as Christian Education National (CEN). Clive

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is currently two units away from completing a Masters in Christian Education and reflects on the impact that his studies have had on his understanding of what it means to be a Christian educator,

“It (the study) has been foundational, the key principal is that your professional teaching life is an extension of your faith, rather than just an occupation, if you take Christian education seriously you have to take Christ seriously, and see that He permeates through all of your experience, not just what you do at church. ….. it’s a very powerful thing when you first start to think it through.” Clive Smith Clive recalls that the search for the truth of Christian education has been a constant throughout his time at the College and in many ways is an ongoing continuous process, but states strongly that it was during Ian’s time that the culture of actively seeking what was to be a Christian teacher prevailed across the entire staff. Ian is credited by many who worked under him with raising the standard of the College in virtually all its aspects to an entirely higher level of excellence. Clive acknowledges that Ian had similar ideas to previous principals with regard to the College’s growth, but seemed to have an almost charismatic quality which allowed his beliefs and philosophies to resonate throughout the college and reach the thinking of individual staff members without having to convince or cajole people on a one on one basis. Clive admits the College has always been a wonderful place for children to be educated, but when Ian arrived, it transformed to a different entity altogether.

Ian himself is very quick to give credit to the staff he found himself surrounded by, and states that the changes that took place at the College could not have come to fruition, were it not for everyone embracing the culture and working together.

Some of the programs that were implemented in Ian’s time which served to place the school in national and international dialogues, included the Environmental Conference which Ian developed with CSIRO, which in turn lead to the school

captain at the time, Alicia Curtis being awarded the Young West Australian of the Year for her leadership demonstrated at the event. Ian also began a number of Indigenous programs and set up student exchanges with remote Aboriginal Christian schools, which resulted in a remarkable achievement for one young man in particular, which not only demonstrated Ian’s realised vision in practice, but also serves as a personal highlight for Ian himself, over his entire career,

“Linden Brownley was an aboriginal boy that I appointed school captain in 2006. That year he was selected as one of 25 young Australians to be a member of the Prime Minister’s youth roundtable in Canberra. He chaired the Youth Parliament of the Federation of Australia in Melbourne and gave a keynote welcome to principals at the Biennial Conference of the Association of Independent Schools in Fremantle. After which he was selected as Australia’s single student representative at the Pacific Rim Forum in Japan and attended the Global Young Leaders forum in Washington DC. This was a boy who had walked out of the bush near Coolgardie five years earlier and had never been on a plane.” Ian Lambert Ian and his staff went on to develop programs which would enhance student leadership and further participation in an engaged Christian life. Along with leadership camps held for the upper school children, overseas student exchanges and mission trips were implemented as part of the normal school year. These programs saw students and staff represent both the College as well as Jesus Christ, throughout the world in places such as Thailand, Cambodia, South Africa and Canada.

It is noteworthy that such trips and programs remain a strong part of the College today and, as they did in Ian’s time, they continue to challenge, inspire and bless all those involved.

Ian also fondly recalls the rebirth of what would become a vibrant and highly active Arts program within the College, taking its place firmly beside the burgeoning academic

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TOP: Swan Christian College cadets attempting to master the climbing wall in the school gymnasium. The cadets are part of the school’s sports and arts focus.

BOTTOM An excerpt from The West Australian in 2001 when Swan Christian College student Alicia Curtis won the Young Australian of the Year Environment Award.

programs. When Ian arrived at the College there was little in the way of music courses or even instruments, Ian, being a passionate musician, sought to change this by employing a man by the name of Peter Hind to the newly created position of Music Director,

“We leased the property next door, (which was) Cornwell House and converted it into a music and media facility. We established rock bands, big bands and numerous ensembles and began a program of public performances and musical tours around Western Australia.”Ian Lambert As well as the resurgence of the Arts in the College, a media centre was also developed by Clive Smith and Owen Beck, which catered for the ever increasing student interest in the new technologies that were becoming available at the time. Ian also credits the newly appointed Dramatic Arts Coordinator, Linda Roney, who he believes accomplished incredible achievements, bringing musical theatre performances to life for staff, students and parents.

These programs all contributed to what became the culture of excellence at the College. Ian believes it took about two years for the vision of the school to be realised and by the year 2000, the College had transformed from a strong regional primary and high school to become a legitimate contender among Western Australia’s top educational institutions. The College now encompassed a strong local community spirit as well as enjoying national and international recognition.

faith in God’s guidance and their trust in those who welcomed them into their new community. Ian’s own children went through Mundaring Christian College and finally Swan Christian College, and he credits his wife and children in particular for their support through what he describes as an incredible adventure. Ian recalls the lives he saw transformed as a result of the combined work done at the College, in particular the first generation University students being among his fondest memories. It was the invaluable benefits garnered by so many students, from all the hard work and dedication of the entire school staff, which holds a place of reverence in Ian’s heart. Ian’s ideal being that the College offered a balance between academic rigor, an appreciation and involvement in Sports and Arts, all combined with a faith and belief in Christian trust and hope. Again Ian returns to his team when reflecting on the achievements of his time with SCEA,

“Our years in Perth and as members of the SCEA team were wonderful, challenging and a real blessing. I would always want to honour the team of staff and leaders who gave me their trust and commitment to our vision, with energy and passion. They delivered a wonderful educational experience to hundreds and thousands of boys and girls with great passion and purpose in a spirit of humility. It was an honour and a privilege to serve them and serve alongside them.”

Ian Lambert

Ian, like other principals in the Association who were sourced from interstate, also brought his entire family along with him and set up a new life in unfamiliar surrounds, putting their

RIGHT: An article in The West Australian newspaper in 2001, detailing Linden Brownley’s participation in Australia’s Youth Parliament.

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Dr Ian Lambert Dr Ian Lambert was one of the most influential people in the Association’s history and is now currently the Principal of The Scots College in New South Wales. Ian completed his secondary education at The Southport School in Queensland, where he was known as an all-round achiever who held the position of Head Boy, and was a member of the 1st XV, stroke of the GPS Premiership1st VIII Rowing, CUO of the Cadet Corps and a member of the school’s jazz and concert bands. He can to this day be caught playing the saxophone at selected College events.

After finishing school, he went on to represent Queensland in U21Rugby and U19 Rowing, completing a BA in Literature, Modern History and Sociology at Griffith University. Ian later attended the University of London where he completed his Master of Arts degree in 20th Century Literature and he then undertook his PhD at Cambridge University in the area of Philosophy of Education and became Dr Ian Lambert.

“We wanted to inspire and embrace students, staff and families who had a commitment to transformational leadership in the world. I believe we achieved many amazing things and saw students, staff and families lives changed.”

Former Swan Christian College students Alana Thirley and Steven Jack being taught how to use technical sound equipment in 2005. The school’s media program was an integral part of Dr Ian Lambert’s ‘culture of excellence’.

Ian has maintained a wide range of interests over the years including kayaking, music, rowing, tennis and golf.

He has written and edited three educational books and numerous articles for journals and magazines. He has had an active interest in assisting Indigenous groups in Australia and Cambodia, and is a strong supporter of the Indigenous Student Programs, originally at Swan Christian College, and now at Scots College.

Dr Lambert is married to Alison. They have two sons and one daughter.

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Dr Lambert at Swan Christian College in 2005.

Olive Branch The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free - and we were all given the one Spirit to drink”.

1 Corinthians 12:12-13 (NIV)

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6. Olive Branch By 1993 the Association had grown to become one of the leading Christian education associations in Western Australia. It was now running four Christian primary schools, all of which fed into a regional high school campus set in Middle Swan, on property large enough to accommodate any number of ambitions and future developments. SCEA had recently celebrated its ten-year anniversary with a celebration concert held at what is now the home of the Riverview Church in Burswood, chosen because its stadium-style seating could accommodate the 800 people that attended the event. Devon Markham recalls the festive night with fondness, remembering the staff members who provided the musical entertainment and students from all of the five schools performing and singing in what was a beautiful night of fellowship and thanksgiving.

The Association at the time was actively looking for opportunities for further growth and development under the leadership of Alan Campbell. Swan Christian High School had a new principal in Terry Parsons, Val Campbell continued to serve as leader for Midland Christian School, Greg Wells was running the now firmly established Kalamunda Christian School, and the newest primary schools, Mundaring and the battling Beechboro, were holding steady under the direction of David Skipworth and Murray Thomas respectively. The Board would continually remind itself, as well as its members, that a proactive culture of advocacy and promotion with regard to new enrolments for all the five schools was necessary for the Association to continue to flourish as it had over the past twelve years. Indeed the hundreds of members who made up the Association came from a diversity of churches; 177, to be precise. The Board saw this wide distribution as a wonderful opportunity to reach out to many people in the community who might be seeking what the Association had to offer for their children.

It was also in March 1993 that the Board was alerted to particular financial difficulties being faced at the time by a sister school, which the Board had previously worked with to further mutual interests, mainly in the area of cost saving and staff sharing where appropriate.

Emmaus Christian College in Armadale began in 1980 in much the same way that Midland Christian School began as an independent, parent-controlled entity. By 1993, however, it was not faring well, and faced closure. An intermediary committee made up of an independent liquidator, the Ministry of Education and Swan Christian Education Association was formed to determine which course of action may be best for the students of Emmaus.

The Association had found itself involved in similar positions in its short history, being called upon by various schools to lend financial assistance or to take students who found themselves in schools no longer equipped to accommodate them. The Association had at these times made it clear that they were to treat such acts of assistance in the same way as a Christian treats a brother in need. In an effort to avoid Emmaus closing its doors for good, it was decided by the newly formed committee that the best possible action may be for Emmaus to move under the SCEA umbrella and become another school under the Association’s direction.

TOP: A 2006 aerial view of the Middle Swan property where Swan Christian College and Midland Christian School are situated.

BOTTOM: Armadale Christian College before SCEA took it over, when the school was still known as Emmaus Christian School.

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It is worth noting that this was one of the few occasions where the Board and its members took considerable time to plot their course of action, and the question of bringing Emmaus into the SCEA family was discussed at length over the entire year and a decision was not be made until 1994. The Board was mainly concerned with meeting the needs of the Emmaus parents, as well as ascertaining how and if Emmaus would fit into the future plans of the Association. Certainly the growth and expansion of SCEA into the foothills near Armadale would be in line with the thinking of the Association’s current leadership.

However the Board was careful not to run headlong into a situation which might endanger their own position and therefore caution prevailed. The Board agreed to consider the possibility of adopting Emmaus subject to a list of conditions being met, 1. Recurrent Commonwealth and State Funding would be made available to SCEA 2. Parents of Emmaus giving their support and consent to the new arrangements 3. Current school budget to demonstrate economic viability of the school 4. An interim management committee be formed made up of Emmaus and SCEA staff The result of the next six months of discussion and debate between the Association and the Emmaus Board resulted in a letter of intent to purchase Emmaus being drafted in October of the same year and sent to the Armadale R&I bank. The official changeover would take place on the first day of the following year, and Emmaus would open its doors to its students once again, but this time under the SCEA banner and would re-name the campus Armadale Christian College. The Association had a formidable task ahead of it as it attempted to make the transition as smooth as possible for students and staff, as well as turning an underperforming and profitless school into a feasible, working campus, which would be able to sustain itself as well as meet the needs of staff, students and parents.

To understand just how strained the situation was at Emmaus before SCEA’s intervention, one only needs to listen to the testimony of staff members who were working at the school in the early 1990s and who remained on staff to witness the transformation of the school from complete despair to unprecedented prosperity. Ron Withnell was one such staff member who recalls that in the year before SCEA rescued the school, Emmaus was in such poor financial condition that the teachers were denied pay half way through the final term of school. Ron remembers that all staff decided to stay on and see the term out, and worked voluntarily in order to finish assessments and exam work being undertaken by the students. The staff then prepared themselves to spend their upcoming holidays looking for employment elsewhere as the school was headed for certain closure.

Ron Withnell, or Uncle Ron as he is affectionately known by the younger staff on the Armadale campus, began at Emmaus in 1990 as a school counsellor and metal and woodwork teacher. Ron had previously worked with juvenile offenders for the Department of Corrective Services where he brought his Christian ethos with him into the prison system. The Emmaus Board recognised Ron as being a very active community member who was, at the time, successfully reducing recidivism rates in juveniles through the various programs and unbridled enthusiasm he was injecting into WA prisons.

Ron had his own children in Emmaus School and remembers one night at a parent meeting he was attending in late 1989, a Board member offering him a position as a teacher and counsellor. Ron remembers Emmaus at the time being known as the Christian “Hospital Ship” in the Armadale area and it was known for its ability to deal with children who struggled in other Christian schools. Through his community involvement, the Board knew Ron had expertise in behaviour management as well as a long history of running different classes and working with challenging children.

Ron Withnell and his wife Johanna.

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After a brief time of consideration, Ron accepted the offer and found himself working in the school in a leadership role the following year, a position he would continue to hold for the next two decades and beyond.

Ron remembers that the then Principal, Phil Phillips, told him after he had accepted the offer, that both he and the Emmaus Board had been 100% certain that Ron was going to accept the position. So much so, in fact, they had already told the students who their teacher was going to be next year and had put Ron’s name on his classroom door.

Emmaus Christian School’s buses, which were very expensive to maintain and run.

Ron had at the time, and maintains to this day, a long history of service to the community, and he believes this to be a direct result of a social conscience which the Lord has gifted him with. Ron states clearly that among his priorities in life are developing vibrant and supportive communities which enable all people to reach their godgiven potential and he sees his role at Armadale as a natural extension of that process.

Ron has always seen Christian education as one which allows him and other staff to reach out to the children in need and ultimately change their lives. Ron brought a considerable amount of energy as well as vision to the Armadale campus and, over his time, has instigated and realised several projects which set the school apart from many of its contemporaries. Ron’s passion and commitment is summed up by his self awareness and military work ethic,

“The Lord has given me a love for people and a love for community. . . . I don’t take sickies, I’m here all the time, I just don’t go away.”

Ron Withnell Ron remembers the process of Emmaus moving into the SCEA family and he gives full credit to the Association for keeping the campus alive. At the time of the rescue, Ron recalls that it was SCEA policy to actively support any Christian school which was in need and whose requirements could be met satisfactorily by the

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Association. Ron recalls the last years of Emmaus as one of crippling financial stresses. Of particular note was the $250,000 annual cost of maintaining eight school buses to transport the students to and from the school.

The cost blowouts were so severe that many teachers were forced to provide materials for classes which they paid for out of their own pockets. The woodwork and metal classes were no exception. Ron remembers heading out to beg from local timber yards and metal foundries for scraps and offcuts to be used in his workshops; requests which he happily remembers being generously met by many in the area.

During the Christmas 1993 school holidays when most staff were busy job hunting, SCEA purchased Emmaus and began the process of rebuilding the financial structure of the school. It did so to restore its viability as well as to return a sense of security and confidence to the staff. All staff were contacted during these school holidays and were told not only were their jobs secure, but also they would be paid for the time they had donated in the months of crisis that had just passed. Conditions at the school began improving almost immediately with SCEA providing the necessary funds for simple basic provisions for all classes. The budgets were tight and indeed modest, yet they were abundant in comparison to what the teachers had been working with just weeks earlier.

Ron Withnell was given sufficient funding to finally realise one of his first goals which was to set up a cadet program which would include outdoor recreation and adventure programs. Ron had introduced a Vocational Education and Training (VET) component to the school which in turn became amongst the state’s first to offer formal qualifications in Outdoor Education. Ron has continued in this fashion throughout his time at Armadale Christian College and has seen some very ambitious projects through to completion, even when it took him fifteen or twenty years to do so. The schools abseiling tower and accompanying high ropes course are cases which demonstrate this dedication. It took many years, but eventually Ron was able to secure a donation of a high

departments. In the transitional year of SCEA’s Emmaus rescue, Campbell was asked by colleagues who were working at Armadale to join them as they attempted to rebuild the school. Campbell admits that at the time he had no intention of leaving his secure position at Swan, as it was close to home as well as being a very enjoyable position. But at an interschool athletics carnival Campbell was again approached by an unnamed staff member and was strongly encouraged to reconsider his decision as the school required the particular pastoral and practical skills that Campbell could offer. Although still not convinced, Campbell said he would be open to discuss it further with the Principal, Phil Phillips.

SCEA’s first principal at Armadale Christian College, Phil Phillips, aimed to create a culture of striving to achieve at the school.

voltage tower from the State Energy Commission of WA, which now serves as the abseiling facility for the school.

Not only does the facility outrank its contemporaries in the immediate area, it also enjoys the enviable reputation of being the largest dedicated abseiling structure in the southern hemisphere.

Another long-time Association staff member who was called to serve in the new school at Armadale was a man named Campbell Murray. Campbell came to Armadale from Swan Christian High School. Campbell began his teaching career with SCEA in 1989 as a relief teacher taking manual arts classes as well as filling in for the two Physical Education teachers as they met the other requirements of their teaching load. Campbell was recognised early as being a valued contributor to school life, particularly in his mentoring and pastoral care for the students and was offered a full-time position as a Science and Physical Education teacher at Swan Christian High School the following year. Campbell remained in this position for the next six years moving around the Science, Maths and Outdoor Education

Campbell received the call from Phil a short time after, and was told of the principal’s plan to reshape the school and instil a new culture into both the student body and the expectations of the parents. Campbell was informed that the school in its short history had always offered Kindergarten to Year Ten, but had tried unsuccessfully on two previous occasions to extend the school to Year Twelve. Campbell recalls that at the time many of the parents, although he stresses not all, had their own school experience where they had left high school after Year Ten; a fact which affected the expectations they had of their own children’s schooling and in turn those they had of the school. Campbell also notes that these parental expectations filtered down to the student’s perception of themselves.

Campbell remembers there was almost a perception from parents that they would be happy if the children made it as far as Year Ten, let alone excelled and went on to further education. This mindset became evident to Campbell as he talked with parents and explained the course and direction of the long-term educational plans set out for individual children and how it was important to consider the end point, even if the child was currently just beginning his or her schooling.

Campbell recalls the chief catalyst in changing this culture of the school came a little later, when the strategy

the staff took towards the students in Year Eight changed along with a change of principal as Dr David Baker took over from Phil Phillips. This strategy involved the introduction of a Middle School concept to Armadale, where Year Eight students were now treated more in a mode that extended primary school practices rather than in a high school mode,

“the idea was to have two teachers who taught the two Year Eight classes, to provide pastoral care for them, to nurture them, to have a more hands on approach like a primary school so they really got to know the students, to be able to encourage them and let them know that they can go further and to take that thinking right through to Year Twelve and I think we’re seeing the fruits of that now. The culture is very different from what it was when I first came here.” Campbell Murray Campbell now serves on the Armadale campus as one of the deputy principals and works with children from Kindergarten to Year Twelve. Campbell states the atmosphere in the school is now more collegiate in nature, which allows for a smooth educational journey for the students attending for their entire primary and secondary years. This unity and holistic approach also enables a more successful promotion of the Christian ethos, which Campbell says permeates the school and does so even with students coming from many different government schools into the college. It is interesting to note Campbell’s perspective on the open enrolment policy at Armadale. He says even if the school were to have closed enrolments it would only ensure the parents were Christians and that it does not necessarily follow that the children would be also. Campbell rather emphasises the importance of a fully dedicated Christian staff as well as a Christian curriculum which pervades all aspects of the education experience,

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“ . . . as a school we talk to the kids about God, everything we do comes from the reality of God’s existence and everything we teach reflects that reality.” Campbell Murray Campbell is happy to admit that the school today has a very friendly and cohesive atmosphere which is a direct result of the permeation of Christian thinking throughout the school. He believes that compared with students at many other non-Christian schools, those at Armadale Christian College are quite fortunate in their daily environment. An example Campbell gives are issues such as fighting amongst students, which in other schools may be considered normal everyday occurrences, but at Armadale is a rare and serious exception. He stresses that although they are not without their own challenges, the day to day life of a student at Armadale is for the most, one under constant care and encouragement.

Campbell, to this day, maintains a teaching role within the school as well as undertaking his administration duties. Campbell delivers a Christian Living class to Year Nine students, up to three periods a week, a class which enables him to maximise his effectiveness in the school as one of the many pastoral leaders. Campbell credits his enjoyment of working for SCEA over the past twenty years as being a direct result of the numerous times he has been able to share with, care for, and encourage the many students he has worked with over this time.

Other schools in the Association have not had the good fortune Armadale Christian College has had since its rescue by SCEA. The school which perhaps has struggled the most is Beechboro Christian School. This school is seen by some as the quiet achiever of the Association’s many schools, whose history has been filled with moments of near closure due to low enrolment numbers. In comparison with some of the other schools within the Association, Beechboro still remains as modest as it appeared on its first day, and equally humble as its likewise long-serving principal. The school is currently situated in the grounds of the Cracovia Polish Soccer

Club on Marshall Road in Bennett Springs. Due to its insecure history and the understandable reluctance of the Association to invest heavily in its infrastructure, the school holds the distinction of having perhaps the largest and the most continuing level of parent involvement up to the present day.

Although the school has never enjoyed a sense of real security (at least not until 2010 when the Association negotiated a long-term lease with the Cracovia Club), Murray Thomas has thoroughly enjoyed his 22 years as Principal, and states that the reason for his choosing to serve at Beechboro for so long has been directly linked to the strong sense of community that such uncertainty breeds. Murray reflects that the school has always been a small, tight knit group of people who are both passionate about and supportive of Christian education. Murray states that the families who have chosen to be involved with the small campus have been very interested in Christ-centred learning and it is this interest which is the strength of the school. Families who choose to send their children to Beechboro do so almost exclusively because of the Christian curriculum and operational standards present, not the physical or material aspects of the school. Indeed, the school’s mission statement makes no mention of facilities when encouraging parents to enrol their children,

“Our role is to equip students with the skills to make a difference in their world. Fundamental to this are the values and principles that the Bible offers in relation to service and the value of others and our relationship to them; in short, to love your neighbour as yourself and treat them accordingly.” Beechboro Christian School Vision and Philosophy Murray also admits that the lack of security for the small campus also made it easier for him to stay on long term as he has always felt that a sense of permanency would be achieved in the next few years. The next few years happened to run into the next two decades; and although Murray

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TOP: Primary school students enjoying the caring atmosphere at Armadale Christian College.

BOTTOM: Beechboro Christian School’s administration building being settled next to the brick Cracovia Club in 1993.

concedes that the school land is still leased, albeit long term, and a definite sense of permanency has yet to be realised, the school now has a sense of being truly established for the first time in its history.

Murray has not only brought many years of service to the Association, but also brought his four children through the system. Murray was, like many who joined in the early days, interested in Christian education but slightly unsure of its exact nature. Murray states that over the years there has been an increasingly strong clarification of what Christian education means and what it actually looks like in practice, for both himself and for the Association as a whole. Those involved from the very early days stepped out in faith; they by no means knew exactly what would be required of them. In a sense, the uncertainty of Beechboro and the commitment required for its eventual success are analogous to the experience of the Association as a whole; not only surviving through all its various challenges, but finding its way forward through unity, faith and a reliance on God. Murray has the rare, but not unique, experience within the Association of being involved with one particular school since its inception to the present day. Murray was part of the Steering Committee for Beechboro and served under Valerie Campbell as the then Overseeing Principal. Murray recalls the long haul struggle that has been Beechboro Christian School and states he certainly feels a sense of ownership of the school as he has experienced every one of the emotional highs and lows that have come regularly through the years.

Emotional highs and lows which would visit the principal’s heart recurrently and often without warning,

Busy Bees in the early nineties at Beechboro Chirstian School. The photos show parent volunteers and SCEA staff hard at work.

“It’s never been plain sailing, we’ve always struggled getting numbers. . . even as recently as 2008 when I came back from a year of study leave, I was contacted to say that there was a possibility that the school would be closed.”

Murray Thomas

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Dr Martin Bent, who has also served as Board Chairman for the Association, remembers all too well the challenges that Beechboro has faced over the years. Martin recalls that some members of the Board and the Executive would at times take a very hard stance towards a school that was under performing and would call for its closure should it not break even financially. Martin, who was the principal negotiator for the protracted contract arrangements with the Cracovia Club in the long-term lease for Beechboro Christian School, remembers having robust debates in the Boardroom and arguing for the struggling school, when at times others seemed a little short-sighted in their plans to see it closed. For Martin, it was important for the Association to honour its continued public commitments to the community in the school, who had, along with the Association, taken a substantial risk in placing their children into the small school. This is yet another example of SCEA seeking a balance between the Christian principles upon which it was founded, as well as also running an effective and self sustaining enterprise.

As a former Associate Professor in Business Management, Martin clearly understands the paradox for the smaller schools as they require the infrastructure and financial assistance from the Association in order to encourage parents to enrol their children, but at the same time the Association is unwilling to invest heavily or even substantially in a venture which may eventually close its doors. Bruce Warrington echoes Martin’s thoughts as he also remembers having discussions on the same theme regularly with other Board members with regard to funding for particular schools. Bruce recalls the back and forth discussion becoming almost absurd, particularly with reference to Mundaring Christian School,

because you haven’t got the numbers,’ and around and around and around it would go.”

Bruce Warrington

“It was always the same argument that went on continuously, ‘you can’t have the buildings because you haven’t got the numbers’; but the school would be full and the response would be, ‘we can’t get any more students because we don’t have any more rooms to put them in,’ and the Board’s response would be ’but you can’t get the buildings

Murray Thomas recalls that, in times past, both he and staff would sometimes lament the fact that they didn’t have a permanent school and did not share the sense of security enjoyed by staff at other campuses. He is quick to point out that they would, however, continually remind themselves that, although they lacked long-term security, they did enjoy a close and community-minded school spirit and were in a way privileged as the focus of the school was always on

Beechboro Christian School’s 20 year anniversary celebration concert in 2008. The school was threatened with closure, but survived and had a great celebration of its history instead.

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its reflection of Christianity and how that translated to the relational values shared by parents, staff and students.

Murray states emphatically that through his time at Beechboro he has learned that a good school has ultimately very little to do with bricks and mortar.

Due to a recent injection of Government funding, Beechboro now has facilities to accommodate over four hundred students, almost twice its current enrolment. Its challenge now is to encourage members of the community to see Beechboro as a viable option for their children. As well as new buildings, Murray also points to the landscaping work which has gone into the campus for the first time since its creation. He warily mentions

The front of Beechboro Christian School today, with the Cracovia club in the background.

the fact that as the school grows in its attractiveness, there is a risk that the sense of community built through adversity could dissipate slightly as parents may enrol students now for the facilities rather than the faith-based schooling. Although Murray admits such a risk is small, it is one he is aware of and will be careful to monitor. It is interesting to note that Beechboro Christian School, although having an open enrolment policy like all other SCEA schools, holds the highest ratio of Christian families, with nearly four times the proportion of Christian families enrolled compared to the SCEA school with the lowest proportion of Christian enrolments.

Mundaring Christian School was, like Beechboro, established by the Association with some urgency in order to take advantage of the favourable government funding available at that time. Funding which would make up nearly seventy percent of the building and running costs for the school. Alan Campbell notes that as the Association grew and was able to prove its competency as an established organisation, it was then able to be more competitive in its attempts to win government funding and although the Association could not exist in its current form without parent involvement, it would also be a very different sized entity had government funding not been available.

The level of government support for independent schools is quite unique to Australia, particularly when speaking of Christian independent schools. Alan Campbell, who was arguably responsible for the initial growth of the organisation and for creating the subsequent culture of growth, recalls that although there was support for his desire to maximise government funding, there was also a significant number of people to whom government reliance caused considerable concern. Alan remembers that the majority of literature that was available to those Association members researching and investigating independent schools in the early years came from the United States, and was heavily influenced by the American belief in separation of church and state. This assumed separation, perhaps unconsciously, flowed into and eventually formed the basis of many of the members’ thinking. Conversely, in Australia, Alan recognises that both the major political parties were quite supportive of independent schools, be they Christian or otherwise; with a Labor government providing a slight, but noteworthy advantage, for SCEA. Alan remembers it was the federal Labor government of the early 1970s that answered the call from Catholic schools around Australia which were suffering such poor financial conditions that they were on the verge of collapse. The post-war era in Australia had seen Catholic school enrolments double, with average class sizes being in the mid forties and private school teachers being under considerable strain; both over worked and drastically underpaid in comparison to their government shool counterparts. The result was the establishment of the Commonwealth Schools Commission, which set up a Block Grant funding for Catholic schools, which, in turn, eventually flowed on to all independent schools by the time the Association was truly establishing itself.

Alan recalls that the government policy of the day was that schools were given appropriate funding based on educational need. This meant that schools under the Association’s control were attracting funding whereas the more established and elite Associations were not. Alan was well aware of the importance government funding would play in the Associations’ growth, and along with his long-term view of the SCEA’s true potential,

he knew he would have to tread carefully in certain areas which could influence this growth. An example of this was Alan’s personal decision not to join any political organisations when he became an Australian citizen. He did this as he knew his work would be carried out under constantly changing federal and state governments. It was important for Alan that he should always be seen as politically unaligned, since the threat for the Association, as well as for all other independent schools in Australia, of losing government funding would mean a loss of up to seventy percent of a school’s income. Alan admits that a loss of income of this magnitude would be sufficient to close many school associations down permanently.

Although Alan was guiding the members and Board in the direction of continued growth, which in turn led to a reliance on government funding, he also interestingly shared some of the concerns of those opposed to his thinking. He was well aware that a balance must be maintained between the Christian ethos of the schools and the impending growth of the Association as a whole. His chief concern was avoiding a time when funding would ever influence curriculum, and he pursued a variety of measures in order to avoid this as much as possible. Alan remembers the loudest political opposition came from the Greens party which advocated spending money only on government schools and allowing independent schools to operate only if they could sustain themselves autonomously. Alan again, not one to see things only in black and white, understood and even appreciated the opposing argument, which only served as a further catalyst for him to prepare the Association for the potential consequences of such thinking, should this thinking one day have influence on the policies of the government.

In order to meet the challenges that faced the Association politically, Alan knew it was important to garner support from a variety of sectors across the educational community in Australia. Alan became involved with and brought the Association in as a fee-paying member of the Association of Independent Schools (AIS), which was both a state-run organisation and had federal representation as the National Council of Independent Schools.

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“I was always comfortable with AIS because I felt they existed to help us, not help us to run better Christian schools, but help us to run better independent schools.” Alan Campbell Alan brought this thinking to many national Christian education organisations in an effort to consolidate the position of the Association within a broader national framework and to give a larger voice to Christian education, so should they one day face enough serious opposition, which may threaten to close them down, they would not be fighting such a fight alone. Such an approach is reminiscent of the Gospel of Matthew where Christians are encouraged to be as innocent as doves, yet also as shrewd as serpents.

The Association’s belief and faith in God would indeed aid them at every turn in their journey, and with Alan’s approach, it seems God was also serving them in their preparations against threats which may arise in times to come.

Mundaring Christian School was first established in 1988 to serve the growing needs of parents in the area wanting a Christian education for their children. Yet it would take four years and an intense legal battle before the school eventually took its place on the campus where it stands today. The students of Mundaring started off on the Midland Christian campus by the railway line before moving to the Sawyers Valley Christian Fellowship Church. The small staff and accompanying 16 students had to pack up the entire school each Friday afternoon to make way for the Church service each weekend; and, likewise, every Monday morning would begin with the school being set up again for the coming week.

TOP: Alan Campbell BOTTOM: Parents and students of Mundaring Christian School after a busy bee, excited by the opening of their school.

This arrangement was obviously a temporary measure which enabled the Association to accommodate the 16 children until more permanent arrangements could be made. In 1990 the Association found suitable land in Walker Street in Mundaring, only a few minutes’ walk from the town centre.

The Association however ran into perhaps its most heated opposition in its history as local residents, many of whom were situated on five acre “retirement blocks” around the area, were not entirely pleased with the prospect of a school being built amidst their hitherto undisturbed tranquillity.

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The opposition also included local environmentalists who challenged the proposed school development as a danger to local wildlife in the area. The Association eventually found itself in a legal battle with neighbouring residents, as well as those from the local preservation society, attempting to stop the development. With the aid of a barrister who was an Association Member, the Association defended the matter in court and saw the case dismissed, and the new campus given the go ahead. Terry Parsons recalls the case hinging on the interpretation of the word ‘should’ in the planning regulations. Brian Goodchild once again credits the same divine source for this particular victory,

“It all revolved around how the Lord provided for our needs.” Brian Goodchild At this stage of the Association’s growth, its total number of students across the five schools stood at 886. The breakdown of which was Swan Christian 364, Midland Christian 247, Kalamunda Christian 179, Beechboro Christian 52 and Mundaring Christian 44.

The first year of the new Mundaring campus in 1991 saw demountables positioned on the bush block and the school placed under the direction of Principal David Skipworth.

David was a primary school teacher who was given his first principal’s role by the Association. As the school was still relatively small in student numbers, the position called for the principal to act as both leader as well as classroom teacher, in much the same way as Greg Wells had operated at Kalamunda, Murray Thomas at Beechboro and Valerie Campbell at Midland. It was at this time that Bruce Warrington first became officially involved with the Association and became a member of the School Council.

Bruce and his wife Lynne, who would also become a longterm part of Mundaring Christian College, working today as a special needs teacher’s aide, had recently moved from Darlington up to Stoneville. Bruce recalls they were still “trundling” their children down the hill to Midland Christian School every day not wanting to disturb what was a wonderful school experience.

ABOVE: Mundaring Christian School in its first year, on the Midland campus.

LEFT: The classroom for Mundaring Christian School getting dropped off at Midland Christian School. It would take four years and a massive legal battle before Mundaring Christian School had its own campus.

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Mundaring Christian School’s legal battle with local residents who did not want the land SCEA bought to be used as a school. The issue was meticulously recorded by local newspapers, and the fight went on for years.

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Mundaring Christian School’s legal battle, as recorded by local newspapers, cont’d

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of the parents, but also to the quality of the school. Bruce recalls there were other parents who were driving their children from further away than Stoneville, with some parents making the 45+ minute drive from Forrestfield, to ensure their children kept their place at Midland Christian.

It wasn’t until Lynne, who was a hair dresser at the time, visited Mundaring Christian School to give the children a demonstration and saw first-hand what the school had to offer and expressed to Bruce the possibility of transferring their children to the new school.

Although it would be a short while before Bruce was encouraged to join the School Council, he was immediately enlisted as one of the chief volunteers at the Mundaring Busy Bees. Bruce, who is a carpenter and cabinet maker by trade, light-heartedly recalls that with his background and area of expertise he had no chance of escaping all the work that needed to be done. Bruce’s memories of getting the Mundaring campus up and running are very similar to stories of Midland and Kalamunda Christian Schools. Equipment and supplies were once again foraged from all corners of the metro area, including a second-hand drink fountain from the relocating St Brigid’s Catholic School. Whilst some brick buildings were erected on the site to accommodate the office, staffroom and toilet block, the rest of the school would remain in demountables well into the next decade. Again, this was a case of the Association not spending too much of its resources and dealing cautiously with regard to the new school.

TOP: Inaugural Mundaring Christian School students Daniel and Linley Hendriksen next to the school plaque at the third and more permanent Mundaring campus.

BOTTOM: Principal David Skipworth giving the kids a cool treat on a hot day at Mundaring Christian College in the early1990s.

Bruce credits his wife Lynne with putting in a tremendous effort in order to get the children to the school, which was effectively a two hour drive everyday; commuting back and forth in the morning and again in the afternoon. This effort is noteworthy as it is both a testament to the commitment

Indeed the facilities at Mundaring Christian were humble to say the least; the small graduation ceremonies which would take place over the coming years for the leaving Year Sevens would be held, not on the campus itself, but in other community centres around the area. Centres including the club rooms of the Mundaring Senior Football Club. It is worth noting that the graduation ceremonies of the primary school were humble affairs both in location as well as size; with the very first occasion offering up four students for the celebration.

Bruce would become part of the School Council which served as an intermediary between the parents of the school and the Association’s Board. Bruce recalls that there were a few

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challenges to deal with during his time serving on the Council as well as many, many happy memories. Bruce states that what he saw as a lack of equity, with regard to the distribution of funds between the different campuses, was the greatest challenge he had as a School Council member. As well as being frustrated with what he saw as a circular argument between himself and the Board with regard to funding versus student enrolments, he found relaying the news back to the parents of the school very difficult. Bruce felt there were certain times when some schools were receiving significant amounts of money for large-scale projects, while others were relying solely on parent fundraising to pay for what could be considered fairly standard school materials. As always with members of the Association, there is a tendency to see the positive side of all challenges, and in this respect Bruce is no different. He recalls a time when the school was enduring an air-conditioner-less summer,

“In the early years there was no air-conditioning and there were days when it was unbelievably hot, forty plus degrees, and outside of the office was the fire hose. And when it so stinking hot, David Skipworth would get out on the veranda and turn the hose on and all the kids would run underneath it having a ball.” Bruce Warrington David Skipworth led the school until 1995 when Greg Wells took over. Greg had moved from Kalamunda Christian School, after serving for twelve years as its principal, and was then working with the newly acquired Armadale Christian College as an acting deputy principal in order to successfully tie the new Campus into the Association’s system.

Greg recalls spending the first three terms of 1994 at Armadale Christian College working with what he described as a very jaded staff who had endured very trying times in the previous years and needed to be encouraged and motivated to rebuild the culture of the school. It is noteworthy of the Association’s belief in Greg that he was their first choice to help guide the new campus into the SCEA family.

Greg felt he had achieved his mandate by the end of Term

Three at Armadale Christian College and believed the school was now ready to stand again on its own terms. Greg spent the remainder of the year as the Director of Development, a newly created position in the SCEA Office which Greg recalls as a challenging exercise as it was a position which may have been somewhat prematurely formed by the Association. By the end of the year, Greg felt his true calling was to be back on school grounds and it was at this time that Greg became the principal at Mundaring Christian School.

Although Greg remembers applying for the new position in the ordinary way, Bruce Warrington remembers it differently,

“When Greg went to head office to be the Development Officer, we poached him and put him in as our principal.” Bruce Warrington Greg served as the principal at Mundaring for two years until 1997 when he chose to leave the Association to become principal of another independent school, Kingsway Christian College. Greg would serve at Kingsway for six years before returning to the Association to become the leader of the ambitious development at Ellenbrook Christian College.

The Association then had to advertise for a new principal and in the usual fashion they commenced a nationwide search for a long-term, highly committed and focused principal who would be given clear directions by the Board with regard to growing the school both in enrolments as well as schooling years offered. Although the call for the principal went nationwide, it was Dr Ian Lambert, then Principal at Swan Christian College, who encouraged a friend from New South Wales to apply for the job. Ian’s friend was a man named Terry Myers. Terry not only applied for and succeeded in winning the position as Principal, but he went on to serve at Mundaring for the next fourteen years and substantially transformed the school in his time as its leader.

Terry arrived in Western Australian late in 1997 to visit the school campus and meet members of the Board, School Council and Association. Bruce Warrington remembers meeting Terry at the Rose and Crown Hotel in Guildford, where Terry was staying during his time in Perth, and recalls meeting a genuine, quietly spoken, albeit somewhat nervous

man, who was prepared to make the enormous sacrifice of moving his entire family to the far side of the country to serve as a Christian educator. Terry had come from Tyndale Christian School, a Prep to Year 12 school, in New South Wales and would be entering Mundaring Christian School as it stood offering Kindergarten to Year Seven, with some of those classes being split. The advertisement which Terry answered made it very clear what was expected. The Association asked for a leader who could grow the school, get all year levels to single stream status and work towards expanding the school program to Year Ten. Bruce Warrington recalls that it was Greg Wells who initially had the vision to take Mundaring Christian School to Year Ten and had planted the seed in the Association’s collective thinking; but Terry Myers was the leader who actually saw the idea through to become a working reality.

During Terry’s tenure he managed to transform the school and more than met the expectations of the Board. The student population quadrupled to eventually over 400 students gaining the benefit of Christian education in Mundaring. Although certainly not without trying times and serious challenges which come with the position for any school principal, Terry was able to direct, manage and achieve a remarkable transformation of the Mundaring campus and bring the small ‘country’ primary school up to its current status of one of the Association’s leading operations.

Bruce Warrington who was a long-term School Council member, leaving only to become a Director on the Association’s Board, recalls the journey of growing the high school with particular satisfaction. Among the proudest moments of his time on the Council, apart from seeing his own children pass through the school, were the practical facilities which the parents were able to put in place through fundraising and Association assistance. These included whole school ovals, reticulation and bore systems, as well as the new brick buildings for the ever-expanding student population.

The majority of children attending Mundaring Christian College today now spend their final two years of upper high school at Swan Christian College. For some in the

Terry Myers at Mundaring Christian College in 2011.

Association, this is not an ideal arrangement as the student’s school life is somewhat disrupted. However growing Mundaring Christian College further to include Years Eleven and Twelve, with all the extra curriculum and infrastructure needs, is a prospect which, at the present stage, is challenging. However in late 2011, the SCEA Board agreed to purchase an additional 110 acres in Parkerville with the objective of continuing the school offering in Mundaring to Year Twelve and possibly providing boarding facilities.

Although the atmosphere and culture at the two campuses are very similar in many ways, there are concerns that when Swan Christian College itself reaches capacity it may be unable to provide accommodation for every student from Mundaring. In a sense this is a telling reality for the Association which although having now reached great heights as a Christian education organisation, is still being continuously challenged by their daily business needs; and, to this day, continue to rely on God’s guidance and wisdom, just as they have done throughout their history.

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Ron Withnell Ron started at Armadale Christian College (then called Emmaus Christian School) in 1990 with a background in juvenile justice and family counselling. He was a Year Ten form teacher and has since taught Outdoor Education, Sport and Recreation, Motor Mechanics, Home Workshop Programs, Christian Living, Horticulture, Woodwork and Metalwork.

Ron’s best memory of his time working with SCEA was developing the Outdoor Recreation area at ACC and seeing highly skilled students join the industry. In 1998 Ron initiated the first Australian Red Cross Cadet program in W.A., under the Cadets W.A. program. In 2000 he received a leadership award from Red Cross and the State Government, being nominated by community members for the work he has carried out over the years. Ron was also honoured by his local community with being chosen to run a stage carrying the Olympic torch in Kwinana, at the time of the Sydney Olympics.

“Over my time I’ve been thrilled to see our cadets recognised on a state and national level including winning the local Australia Day group award, as well as receiving much encouragement from members of the surrounding community.”

In 2004 Ron was nominated for an Excellence in Teaching Award as well as receiving a service award from the Red Cross. Ron also started the first Hills Heartbeat Festival which is a community festival now run at ACC in conjunction with an open day where community members, as well as other school students, come for a day’s celebration of music and dance.

Ron Withnell next to Armadale Christian College’s first abseil training tower on the day it was taken down to be replaced with a professionally built tower.

Ron built this tower from old scaffolding and parts from demolitions.

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Replanting “So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.”

1 Corinthians 3:7 (NIV)

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7. Replanting Late in 1995 the then Housing Minister Kevin Prince, along with Planning Minister Richard Lewis, announced the official beginning of a $1.5billion housing development set amidst Perth’s rapidly expanding north-eastern corridor. The development was named Ellenbrook and it was declared that the housing development would be the biggest land development project ever undertaken in the state’s history.

The goal of the ambitious project would be to eventually provide up to ten percent of Perth’s residential land supply over the next ten years. The project was made up of a partnership of private and public investment, and would see over the coming years up to 35,000 people move into 12,000 new homes.

For the Association, and particularly for Alan Campbell, the new development presented an exciting opportunity to not only plant another college in a new area of Perth, but to do so with a ready-made family population, most of whom would be looking for a new school for their children as they moved into the area. As early as 1996, the Association began to think about the possibility of a new school being part of the sizeable development. The culture of the Association was now one of actively seeking to develop new schools to bring Christian education to as many people as possible.

For the Association this could happen through a variety of ways including building new campuses from the ground up to rescuing other independent Christian schools as they had done with Emmaus Christian School in Armadale. As well as discussions revolving around the possibility of Ellenbrook College, other prospects included rescuing a Christian school in need of financial assistance in Port Macquarie in New South Wales, bringing an established school from Carnarvon into the Association’s system as a sister school and perhaps the most intriguing and telling aspect of the Association’s thinking at the time, was the consideration being given to build a new Christian school in Malawi, in South East Africa.

Of the many possibilities being considered by the Association, it was participation in the Ellenbrook development that became a reality. In June 1997 Alan

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A SCEA newsletter announcing the commencement of building at the Ellenbrook Christian College site.

Campbell approached the private developers Sanwa Vines expressing interest in the Association purchasing a school site located in what was called the Village Centre of the new project. The school was envisaged as a Kindergarten to Year Twelve College which would provide an all encompassing educational experience to the new children moving into the area. The plan for Ellenbrook was perhaps the most considered and ambitious project of the Association.

Whilst other SCEA schools had started to meet the already established needs of small numbers of children and then grown as the children’s needs changed, Ellenbrook would be a purpose-built College; one which would encompass a large student body from its inception.

However, the new development and the Association’s plans to be an integral part of it would bring with it the need for a drastic change in policy with regard to the student enrolment.

On one hand, the new families moving into the area would provide the Association with strong student numbers as most would be uprooted from where they were previously living.

On the other hand, the majority of families moving into the new homes would not necessarily be practicing Christians.

Bruce Warrington remembers that going into the mid 1990s at the time of the proposed development, the enrolment policy of the Association stood at 75% Christian enrolments and 25% non-Christian enrolments. This would however be an unworkable ratio to maintain, if the Ellenbrook proposal was to be a success. The Association could not afford to build the campus it had in mind, if it was to subsequently suffer from low enrolments.

Alan Campbell agrees that from the outset Ellenbrook Christian College was going to be a very different model of school from anything the Association had done before; both in the aforementioned grand scale vision of building a complete campus from the first day of its operation, to a substantial change in enrolment policy from semi-closed to virtually completely open. Ellenbrook as it stands today has a student enrolment ratio of 15% from self declared Christian families to 85% from non-Christian families. The Steering Committee, which formed in January 1998, of which both Alan Campbell and Devon Markham were members,

were well aware of this sort of ratio becoming a reality. The concern of many of the Association members was evident to the Committee and they in turn were determined to ensure that the Christian character and ethos of the Association’s history would not be lost in the new venture, even if the College itself was to be a significant departure from past policy and conduct.

In February 1998 the Association passed a motion which would ensure that although student enrolment policy was relaxing somewhat, staff policy would not follow in the same direction. The Association, to this day, maintains that all employees must meet the same Christian criteria required of full voting members. It is a policy which ensures that the direction, leadership and curriculum policy of the school maintains its focus firmly on a Christian worldview.

For some members, the new direction the Association was taking with regard to Ellenbrook was cause for major concern, Bruce Warrington recalls,

“. . .there was a lot of people quite concerned that the Christian control of the school was going to die and go out the window, but it never has.”

Bruce Warrington The change from the closed to open enrolments therefore allowed the Association to be a part of the Ellenbrook development and go on to flourish with strong student numbers. It was the first school of the Association which was not built exclusively for Christian families, but rather was a Christian school which was built for the general public.

Doreen Smith, who today is the Chairman of the School Members’ Committee at Ellenbrook Christian College, agrees with Bruce’s sentiments that the Christian spirit is very much alive in the Association’s somewhat unconventional addition to its family. Doreen began as a parent helper in 1992 at Midland Christian School, when it was still by the railway line and had come to Perth after 25 years spent as a Christian Missionary in Kurrawang, Western Australia. Doreen and her husband, Robert, felt that God was calling them to new challenges after a considerable time spent as missionaries,

Construction site at Ellenbrook Christian College on 13 October 2000.

and through prayer they sought to understand where God was leading them. Doreen recalls her prayer points at the time being to find a suitable home, a vibrant church and a Christian school for their children. Doreen had known some of the early founders such the Grossers and the Campbells from church affiliations and had some knowledge of SCEA’s very strong reputation of establishing and maintaining genuine Christian schools, committed to Christ-centred education; an Association which valued its students’ spiritual lives, alongside their academic achievements. This is a commitment, which is as evident in Ellenbrook Christian College today, as it was in Midland Christian School nearly twenty years ago.

Doreen was among many members who were initially somewhat hesitant with regard to Christian education.

She had always believed it to be a protectionist measure, shielding Christian children from the realities of the world.

However since joining SCEA in 1992, Doreen changed her mind considerably through witnessing what was taking place at Midland Christian School.

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The construction of Ellenbrook Christian College: the transformation from a pine forest to a well-resourced Christian College

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“Once we got into the Christian school we changed our view, they were not being protected from the world, they were being prepared to stand strong in the world, and I believe that was a process God needed to take us through.”

Doreen Smith Doreen Smith is in a unique position to ascertain just how much of the Christian spirit exists in Ellenbrook today, as she has witnessed the extremes of the Association’s different schools over a long period of time. A volunteer worker of nearly twenty years, Doreen became the Chairman of the School Council just three weeks after enrolling her young son in Midland Christian School. Doreen recalls the enrolment ratio at the time was around 80 percent Christian families to 20 percent non-Christian, which is almost the polar opposite for Ellenbrook Christian College today. It is also noteworthy to mention that Doreen was the only female council chairman at the time among SCEA’s different schools, which serves as yet another example of the Association being quite progressive in its appointment of women to leadership roles.

strong economic base in order to maintain the ability to reach out to the community, but at their heart the Association is there to serve the community in all its forms. This culture is reflected in the Association’s clear and focused mandate to reach out to the marginalised in the community and many ambitious plans, like Ellenbrook in its day, are currently in place with marginalised groups such as school-aged mums, refugees and indigenous communities being at the forefront of SCEA’s future educational plans.

Doreen recalls that from the beginning of the planning stages, once the decision had been made to go ahead, there was a clear focus on delivering Christian education to a completely different community than the Association had done in the past. The Association was relying on the perceived potential growth over the coming years in the Ellenbrook Estate, in order for the new school to be financially viable. It was a risk which has worked out well for both the Association, as well as the families benefiting today from Ellenbrook Christian College. Doreen credits Alan Campbell as being the chief visionary in the development of Ellenbrook Christian College and states clearly that without his contribution, the Association would not enjoy its current status.

Direction, leadership and curriculum policy have a firmly Christian focus at Ellenbrook Christian College. This is manifested in the classroom.

“I was here before they turned the soil and I just love being a very small part of what God is doing, impacting on young lives through Christian education. I was seeing great things happen in the development of Ellenbrook. . ..the fellowship of Godly people working towards the development of Christ-centred education and making it more available to a wider community.” Doreen Smith

Ellenbrook was a large investment for SCEA and was one of the projects which would invariably receive the most amount of available funding from the Association and would be in stark contrast to the likes of Beechboro and Mundaring. This is an example of the Association having to think once again about the organisation as a whole, rather than on a school by school basis. For those observing from the outside, holding personal interests in one of the smaller SCEA schools, the distribution of funds may have seemed considerably out of balance; but it could be argued that the success of the larger-scale projects, such as Ellenbrook and Swan Christian College, have in turn, through enhancing the reputation of the Association as a whole and contributing financial stability, allowed the smaller schools to benefit in the longer term.

Doreen saw the vision of Ellenbrook as an extension of bringing Christianity to a community who otherwise would never have the opportunity to experience its blessings.

Doreen states that when Ellenbrook Christian College opened its doors in 2000 there was only 5% Christian enrolment, a number which has more than tripled in the last ten years. Doreen admits that it has been a challenge to maintain the Christian principles of the school with so few Christian families. However she firmly believes that they have managed to achieve a strong permeation of Christianity throughout the school, due to the inflexible policy of a totally Christian staff. Doreen states that this is an integral part of realising the original vision for Ellenbrook and she prays regularly that the SCEA policy of employing only Christian teachers and administrators will never change.

Ellenbrook Christian College is just another example of the culture that exists at SCEA. It is a culture which sees its responsibilities more aligned with biblical truth rather than financial gain. The Association must of course maintain a

Doreen Smith recalls that Ellenbrook’s proposed open enrolment policy, one which stood in stark contrast to other SCEA schools, is one of the things which drew her into being involved with the project. With her missionary background,

Jack Joyce led Ellenbrook College for the first three years as its principal. Jack was a warm and enthusiastic man who was very excited about the new College and had a vibrant personality to take the school through its inaugural years.

Doreen’s involvement with Ellenbrook Christian College began when the school was only an idea and she remembers after discussions were had and decisions made, driving out to look at the large vacant block of land which sat in the middle of the proposed housing estate.

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Originally a teacher from South Africa, he came to SCEA after working for World Vision Australia in Perth and his appointment at Ellenbrook was his first principal role. Jack is described as having a real heart for God and was a man who was able to share the vision laid out by the Association. Jack would eventually leave to pursue a principalship at Rehoboth Primary School and is remembered for steadily directing the College in those important formative years.

After Jack’s departure in 2004, it was Association stalwart Greg Wells who would be chosen to further the ground work undertaken by Jack and lead the school up to the present day. Under Jack’s leadership the school was a K-8 enterprise, a situation which would change dramatically in the coming years under the new principal. Greg is described by colleagues as having a fantastic ability to manage staff and unify all those involved in the campus. Greg perhaps has one of the more challenging roles in the Association today, being the leader of a College which does not enjoy a shared orthodoxy amongst the majority of parents and students, yet it seems however to be his capacity for management which Doreen Smith credits as being the chief reason of this success.

TOP: Large investment for SCEA: Ellenbrook Christian College.

BOTTOM: Principal Greg Wells talking with students at Ellenbrook Christian College.

“Greg has been an absolute miracle here, he’s very personable and could sell ice to the Eskimos, his stamp on the school is the growth and the positive atmosphere, he can convince everybody from the council chair, the council, the staff, the parents that (whatever is being proposed) is a good idea, he has a very positive approach and can take people with him, I guess that’s great leadership.” Doreen Smith It is not only through staff endorsement that Greg’s impact on the school can be seen, one only has to look at the striking difference in enrolment numbers since Greg’s appointment as evidence that Ellenbrook College has become one of the premiere educational institutions in Perth. Under Greg’s tenure the College now offers K-12 education and the enrolment figures which stood at 280 on Greg’s arrival, now stand at 840 as he leads the school forward into its next

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chapter. Greg’s achievements were recognised by his own College Council in nominating him in 2010 for the National Excellence in Teaching Award.

Greg himself sees that the culture that has developed over the years at Ellenbrook as one which values Christian education, the individual students at the college as well as their families and the broader community. Although the size of the school, both in physical structure as well as student population, has grown considerably, Greg firmly maintains the focus is on the individual student and how the school can care for and facilitate their needs. Although Greg realises that his student body is diverse in its cultural beliefs, he credits the reliance on a strong Christian foundation within the college that allows staff to teach and encourage all members of the school community to reach their full potential. The teachings and the values present at Ellenbrook College undeniably reflect the Christian heritage upon which the entire Association is based.The final school to join the SCEA family in 2011 was the previously named Australind Christian School located just a few kilometres east of Geographe Bay in the south west Western Australia.

The acquisition of this struggling school gave SCEA an opportunity to venture into regional WA, as well as aid a Christian school which had become financially unviable due to a variety of different issues. Australind Christian School began in much the same way as Midland Christian School had in 1982, being the result of a small group of parents joining forces to provide a Christian education for their children. Unlike SCEA however, Australind had found itself with ever decreasing enrolments and suffering the pain of the financial burden which followed, to the extent that they were actively seeking assistance from other schools and organisations just to keep their doors open.

Stephen Lee, the CEO of the Association, first learned of the seriousness of Australind Christian School’s position in September 2010 when attending a state council meeting of Christian Education National. It was there that the Principal of Mandurah’s Foundation Christian College, Andrew Newhouse, mentioned that Australind Christian School was actually planning to close in three months’ time. Along with

Christian Education National itself, Foundation Christian College had been one of the entities helping Australind Christian School through 2009 and 2010 both in a modest financial sense as well as in an administrative capacity.

Martin Bent recalls being visited by the board chairman of Australind Christian School back in 2007 and having an informal discussion with the then CEO, Brendan Donaldson, about the various challenges facing the school at the time.

Challenges which would eventually cause too much of a strain for the small regional school to bear alone. The issues included factional groups gaining influence and control over the school, influences which were seen to be biblically unsound and resulted in everyday Christian families not taking a keen interest in enrolling their children.

By late 2010 the Australind Board were looking for expressions of interest to save the school and prevent it closing down by the end of the year. Martin Bent notes that SCEA’s objective has aways been to establish and maintain Christian schools, and the eventual acquisition was not only done out of charity for a school in need, but also done in order to achieve the objectives SCEA had set itself. Martin further states that rescuing or taking over a school can be less costly than were SCEA to build a similar sized school from the ground up. Having the buildings, infrastructure and many of the local regulations already in hand would mean the Australind acquisition would be more in line with SCEA’s approach to Armadale Christian College, rather than the challenges faced with the Ellenbrook and Mundaring College’s.

Greg Wells aims to value every individual student at Ellenbrook Christian College.

SCEA put forward an expression of interest and the Australind Board accepted the offer after somewhat protracted deliberations. The additional time taken to consider SCEA’s proposal further added to the strains which the Association faced in opening the school the following year, but would also bring it closer in line with SCEA’s very first school, Midland Christian School, as it would be a matter of weeks from when the offer of acceptance was finalised, to when the doors were expected to open for Term One 2011.

“It was November and there was no staff, no students and no school registration.” Martin Bent

Martin Bent believes the last couple of months in late 2010 are clear evidence of the Lord’s hand still at work in the Association today and describes the developments which took place which enabled the Association to open the school doors in February 2011 as being simply miraculous. For example, there was a real shortage of teachers in Western Australia, so much so that in 2008 Martin sought and received permission from the Department of Immigration to bring up to sixty overseas teachers to Western Australia as the state was losing many educators to the mining boom and the promise of higher earnings in other sectors. It was this shortage which also affected staffing efforts at what would become Geographe Grammar School.

As well as an exodus of teachers in search of larger incomes, the Association also faced the challenges which came with the late notice given to them before officially taking over the regional campus. Traditionally September and October each year are the optimum times for teacher positions to be advertised and the best candidates are usually employed during this period. SCEA had to find enough staff who were not just available to work but who were also practicing Christians, who lived or were willing to live in the Bunbury area and who also met the high standards expected of SCEA staff. The new school required three teachers, two teacher’s assistants, plus a principal and they were all needed immediately.

The Association first advertised internally for the principal’s position and found that it had a staff member working as a primary school teacher at the Ellenbrook campus, who not only fitted the exact nature of the new school but who had previously been the Inaugural Principal at Kingsway Christian College’s satellite campus in Merriwa. The man in question was Robert Devenish and he not only had experience starting a new Christian school from the ground up but was also an avid sailor and kayaker; a characteristic which aligned perfectly with the planned nautical focus the new school was envisioned to have in the following years. Robert Devenish recalls,

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“During my interview for the principal’s position I was asked how I would feel about teaching sailing and kayaking. Initially I thought this was a joke as these are my sports I have enjoyed for over 40 years. I this respect, I feel like I am living a dream being paid to do what I love.”

Robert Devenish The school today is heavily involved in water activities, taking full advantage of its location. The small fleet which make up Geographe’s navy numbers ten boats in total, with five of those being hand crafted by Robert himself - two Minnow class yachts and three cedar-strip sea kayaks.

Another fortunate development in getting the school operational was that the Association was able to partly fund the purchase with money from a Western Australian State Government low interest loan. A loan which came at the eleventh hour for the Association and was approved remarkably quickly. The loan enabled the new Geographe Grammar School to open its doors days after becoming part of the SCEA family. The loan was crucial for the Association to purchase and establish additional facilities within the new campus.

In this sense it is the hard work and dedication of hundreds of people over the last thirty years which are still contributing to SCEA to this day, as the effort and commitment over the past three decades have built for SCEA a strong community reputation, a reputation they now utilise to further their work in establishing and maintaining Christian education. Further evidence of this was Geographe’s official registration by the Minister of Education which saw a process that can take many months for completely new entities cleared and approved in a matter of weeks. Martin credits this outstanding cooperation from AISWA and the Department of Education Services being due to the recognition and reputation that SCEA enjoys as a sound provider of quality education and the good relations established with these agencies over many years.

After Robert’s appointment as Principal in early December, both he and Martin went to Australind to interview and employ the remaining staff. Robert recalls they were a staff of exceptional character, some of whom like himself, were prepared to move to a new location as well as some enrolling their own school-aged children. The staffing of the school was also a great victory for the Association and Robert delights in the memory of finding such wonderful teachers and administrators in order to open fully prepared for the following year with ten students enrolled.

“Geographe Grammar School has six staff members and although an enrolment of 10 students for day one did not warrant that number, it was important to give a signal to the community that we are here for the long term and committed to the project of starting a school. I am genuinely amazed at the calibre of staff we have here at Geographe.” Robert Devenish The biggest difference for Geographe Grammar School is in the approach taken by SCEA compared to that taken with other schools it had either rescued or built in the past. At SCEA’s request, Australind Christian School was officially closed by the Association of Christian Education in Bunbury at the end of 2010. Unlike Armadale where the Association simply changed the name of the school, SCEA effectively cleared the entire history of Australind Christian School, where now the parents as well as the teachers had to apply again should they wish to enrol their children or be employed. This gave the school a fresh start and also gave the Association more control over the culture of the school as it could now decide who would be contributing to it on a day to day basis.

The school was also physically given a facelift, new colours, uniforms, signage and name all helped to transform the public image of the small school and, in turn, would bolster its financial viability as it moved into its second year of operation.

Geographe currently enjoys growth in its enrolments and in mid 2012 had a student population of 31 students.

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Martin Bent says the lessons learned by the Association through the Armadale Emmaus rescue with regard to official school closures as well as the very rapid initial growth at Ellenbrook with regard to open enrolments, has led to the current philosophy of building slowly and carefully at Geographe. A patient approach which may in the short term cost the Association additional funds and time. Costs, which the SCEA Executive believes will benefit both the individual school as well as the Association itself in the future.

Gathering Together “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV)

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8. Gathering Together Standing in the gymnasium at Swan Christian College today is reminiscent of being on a university campus. The enormous, colourful gymnasium, which was built in 2002, contains two full-size basketball courts, off to the right is a professional dance theatre, above a fully-equipped workout gym and perhaps most impressive of all, in the building adjacent, a fully functioning industrial kitchen and restaurant.

The restaurant will become a student-run operation and will, before long, be open to the general public.

Likewise the sounds and smells of the impressive cafeteria which leads out to the foyer suggest a café strip somewhere in Fremantle. The quiet that hangs in the air, with a small number of students and teachers walking calmly across the hardwood floors, hides the spectacle that is about to descend on the hall. It’s Monday morning; and staff and school will meet as they do each week and plan and prepare themselves for the days ahead.

The growing sound of quickly moving feet and the scraping of chairs are heard coming towards the gym from different directions. At once the students seem to flood in through different entrances and, although exchanging some quiet chatter, excited giggles and tales of the weekend past, they draw almost magnetically to their unmarked places throughout the gym. The ordered chaos of 1400 students, the elders at the front, their younger counterparts at the back, seat themselves and settle quietly, filling the vast hall with youthful and vibrant energy. Some teachers weave smoothly through the throng, greeting familiar faces, gently directing the occasional stray, lost in conversation, towards their intended position. Norman Ewing stands tall in the middle of the group, affectionately referred to as Swan Christian’s “Mr Chips”, Norman’s warm and genuine smile sum up so much of the atmosphere of the school. Deputy Principal Caroline Blake is seen standing by the wall watching her group take their places. There are no raised voices, no shouting, no projectiles flying through the air, and Principal Mark Lewis waits patiently for the miraculous machine to run its course.

A school assembly about to take place in the Swan Christian College gymnasium in 2010

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“He has showed you, O man, what is good.

And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8 (NIV) Mark shows a video from one of the recent mission trips undertaken by some of the staff and students. A young African man talks into the camera, he needs help, he is ill, he has no money, little food, no schooling, no hope. Towards the end of the video the young man breaks down and begins crying, the students watch, the conversations of their weekend activities far from their thoughts. The video ends, Mark informs the students of the realities of the young man’s life. He puts into perspective the suffering nature of the world and asks the students to reflect on the unimaginable blessings and benefits they have in comparison to billions of people around the world. Mark finishes with another quote, this time from the gospel of Luke.

All those employed by SCEA in 2011, thirty years after a small group of dedicated parents sacrificed time, money and a great deal of effort to give their children Christian schooling

The children are finally all seated, the hum of whispered conversation still lingers, shoulders and heads twist backward and lean forward as class mates hurriedly exchange a few final important words as they see a school prefect take the stage and stand behind the podium. The prefect asks the students only once for their attention and without repeating himself all eyes in the room are looking in his direction, the talking stops immediately, the assembly has begun.

The captain of the debate team joins the stage and leads the gathered staff and students in prayer and shares a devotion

on faithfulness. The young man compares the Israelites relationship to God to an aspect of a popular reality television show and the students laugh and take in the message. He then introduces Principal Mark Lewis and the students wait in silence as he approaches the microphone. Mark Lewis is regarded by his senior staff as a man who ably maintains and continues the standard of excellence which has now become the ingrained culture of the College. Mark greets staff and students and delivers a talk on faith and how it should manifest itself in ones daily life. Mark quotes his favourite bible verse,

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“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded.” Luke 12:48 (NIV) The students have been challenged at the very beginning of their school week and the quiet that has remained in the hall suggests many are absorbing Mark’s words. The Christian message of love and responsibility is the foundation upon which the school week begins. The rest of the assembly contains some housekeeping, invitations to clubs and after school groups that are running. There is a marathon event coming up as well as a mission trip to Cambodia. The large audience sits attentively for nearly an hour and the assembly ends with a short prayer and well wishes to the students and staff.

All at once, as though directed by some invisible hand, the students stand up in unison and, no less peacefully than they entered the hall, they begin to file out through different doors, back towards their classrooms to engage with another school week. The spectacle happens in reverse and the large hall empties in a matter of minutes. The life and vibrancy leave the hall and spread throughout the College; and one is reassured that as the Association moves forwards in its vision and planning it will have a wealth of people to call on to realise its boldest dreams and fulfil its most ambitious imaginings.

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The Gardeners “But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.”

Exodus 18:21 (NIV)

9. The Gardeners SCEA Leaders – The First 30 Years The following people are recognised for providing leadership to SCEA over the first thirty years. They would not have been able to fulfil their various roles without the grace of God and the support and encouragement of thousands of parents, staff, volunteers, students and family members, as well as the assistance of many external government and non-government organisations and agencies.

School and College Principals Graeme Allen Dr David Baker Caroline Blake Valerie Campbell Ian Codling Warwick Connor Albert Cooper Rob Devenish Gaye Entwistle Vivian Hill Jack Joyce Dr Ian Lambert Mark Lewis John McMath Jack Mechielsen Terry Myers Gavin Nancarrow Dr Terry Parsons Mike Pitman Scott Puzey David Skipworth Murray Thomas Jun Vasquez Greg Wells

Board Chairmen Fred Styants Noel Harding Les Gunn Ken Hutchings Bill Grosser Graham Baker Brian Goodchild A/Prof Martin Bent Dean Powell Peter Ellery

Steering Committee Chairman Joan Grosser

Chief Executive Officers Alan Campbell Mark Steyn Dr Ian Lambert Dr Martin Bent Brendon Donaldson Carol Bullard Reverend Stephen Lee

Chief Financial Officers/Accountant Wes Mitchell Adam Butler Charles Ebden

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“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain.

Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.�

Psalm 127:1 (NIV)

1 Padbury Terrace, Midland WA 6056 Phone: (08) 9274 6411 Email: info@scea.wa.edu.au www.scea.wa.edu.au