Voice Ocean Grove
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3 - 16 January, 2018
OCEAN GROVE’S NUMBER ONE NEWSPAPER
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A passion for PE By Justin Flynn As far as volunteers go, you would struggle to find someone as dedicated as Stewart Hayes. For the past nine years, Stewart has been volunteering at Our Lady Star of the Sea Primary School, helping out with physical education lessons. After suffering a stroke at just 29, it left him reassessing the rest of his life. He started volunteering at the school five days a fortnight and just kept coming back for nine years. Late last year, Stewart, now 44, left the school for the final time, deciding that he needed a paying job to help pay the bills. There were more than few tears by students and staff when Stewart left after his final day. “He’s a bit of a godsend for a PE teacher when you’re managing a group of 25 kids,” Star of the Sea PE teacher Andrew Rayson said. “He has that passion for working with kids. We’ve been lucky enough to have someone to give that time. Kids get more out of a lesson to have two of us out there, and a lot of schools don’t have that.” Stewart said he had loved his time at the school, and had a firm message for anyone who found themselves in a similar situation. “Do it - get off your backside, otherwise you’re just sitting there,” he said. “You want to have a purpose and something to get you out and motivated. You’re giving rather than taking.” More commonly known as Stewy, he realised he’d been volunteering for a long time when he sees the students he taught in his early years, now grown up. “The kids who are no longer here, they tower over me now,” he joked. “You remember them as little kids in Grades 5 and 6 and now they have graduated.” It’s clear the students have responded well to Stewy’s teachings. “We’ve enjoyed his personality; it’s infectious and straight down the line,” Mr Rayson said. “He’s got a passion for sport and getting the kids to learn new skills.” Stewy said the highlight of his stint at Star of the Sea was helping the students who really needed it. “You get some kids who don’t need as much help as others,” he said. “It’s good to help the kids who might not be very sporty.”
Stewart Hayes on his final day of volunteering at Our Lady Star of the Sea Primary School. 176240
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