The ‘Eye of the Storm’ episode of Australian Story for ABC Television delivered such a very positive portrayal of the teaching profession and a genuine depth of understanding of educational issues.
The PTC NSW Media Award Committee were very impressed with the insight this program provided into the ‘extra miles’ and innovative programs which Mark Morrison and the team at Macleay Vocational College wholeheartedly give to the specific needs of their students, their families and to the wider community. The panel were especially impressed by the inclusion of Aboriginal Elders and Senior Women so that their voice and their work were acknowledged and honoured. The difference the College programs are making in the lives of young people was inspiring and was certainly very much valued in the education community as a very positive portrayal of the teaching profession.
About the documentary
The documentary was introduced by South Sydney Rabbitohs player Cameron Murray “Mark Morrison is a rugby league coach renowned for developing young talent. But it’s at his day job in the NSW town of Kempsey where he’s really turning lives around”.
On the mid-north coast principal Mark Morrison brushes close to the rules to give troubled teens their last chance at a high school education. At Macleay Vocational College, the former private school teacher and rugby league coach does whatever it takes to get students past the high-security fence and into a classroom.
These kids mostly come from generational disadvantage, where poverty, drug addiction, domestic violence and/or cultural trauma is the norm. Life has taught them unacceptable behaviour but Mark Morrison hasn’t given up on them. In fact, as the end of the school calendar draws close, he’s looking at a record-breaking number of student graduations.
Behind the high-security gates of Australia’s ‘last chance’ high school for kids with nowhere else to go Mark’s novel approach is giving these young people the chance to dream of a future. Bullied outcasts hit the textbooks alongside teen mums bouncing babies while in the next classroom youths facing juvie learn about sex in prison.
According to Mark’s colleague David Mulford “Macleay Vocational College is not a school just for schooling, it’s a school about life. The school is open 50 weeks a year at least. It provides a creche for the young mums. It’s funded by the state and federal government as an independent school. One advantage of an independent school is that Mark can run it the way he wants.”
In Mark Morrison’s words quoted from the documentary: “We fight to get these young people all to school on any one day. You never know what to expect. I think people are far too ready to write off these young people. Education, they know deep down, is something they want to have success in. My personal belief is that everybody will find something that will work for them, when they’re ready.
Some people call it being at work, I love it. I love waking up and going to school and I would say that I have been that way most of the time that I’ve been a teacher.
I took the job because I believed in the vision. It was a massive learning experience for me all in one go. I’m sure it was about 76 – 77 students that were on the roll at the time, and there was no way in the world that we had all of those students turn up. So I needed to go and find them. Went driving around, to their houses, knocking on doors and I saw some of the you know crowded places where they were living and how they were living. Some of them were hiding from the law because they were in trouble. And they weren’t quite sure about the best way to face that.”
The local paper the Macleay Argus, in a promotion for the documentary, talked to Mark who said the college would not be here today without the woman who had the idea back in 2001 to start up a college for the young people of Kempsey. “Jann Eason established the college with around four students and ran it for 11 years. Without her passion, we wouldn’t have what we do today,” he said. One hundred and twenty nine students are now enrolled at the college, as well as the young mothers who attend the Ginda Barri centre.
“The ABC spent two weeks on the story and had so much footage they will also be releasing a video centred on the young mothers’ centre…” Mark said. The relationships Mark and the college staff create with the students continues to make the college unique in its approach to education. “Having positive relationships with the young people, along with the generosity of the community, we can continue providing education for the students and give them a sense of belonging,” he said.
