Narelle Clapson awarded OAM for service to Indigenous education

Narelle, from Bohnock, was awarded the OAM in this year’s Australia Day honours for service to indigenous education – something she’s passionate about.

“People ask me when am I going to retire,’’ Narelle said.

“I answer by saying ‘why, are you trying to get rid of me?’ Why would I want to retire? I still enjoy what I do.

“The day I wake up and don’t want to go in (to school) is the day I’ll retire. But at the moment I’m still enjoying what I do.’’

Teaching throws up plenty of challenges. Teaching indigenous kids just offers a different type of challenge, Narelle explains.

“It’s no use going into a room and saying ‘I’m the teacher, now you have to do what I say,’ ’’ she said.

“You have to earn the kids’ respect. They have to like you and when that happens, they’ll do anything for you.’’

As with all types of teaching, Narelle said keeping the students interested and involved in the subject is paramount. Sometimes, she added, that means changing direction. Dinosaurs taught her that.

“I had a class of boys and I thought they’d be interested in dinosaurs,’’ Narelle recalled.

“But they weren’t. They said ‘why would we want to learn about dinosaurs? They’re all dead’.”

So Narelle had to change the slant of the unit. The boys, she found, were interested in geography and geology.

“So for the next 10 weeks we concentrated on that,’’ she said.

Teaching was just one of the options Narelle was considering when she left school. However, she was persuaded to pursue the profession by a cousin.

Narelle went to Armidale Teachers College on a scholarship. Her first appointment was at West Liverpool.

“People said to me ‘woah, you’re going there’. But I really enjoyed it – apart from the commute.’’

Narelle was living in Bexley, so getting to work involved catching a couple of trains in what was a lengthy and at times tedious process.

She had family in this area and transferred to Taree West Public School in 1973. Melvie Chick was the principal at the time. However, Narelle was living at Old Bar and the job for the second teacher at Old Bar school became available.

“Melvie said she would support me if I applied for the position,’’ Narelle said.

So she did and got the gig. Old Bar might be one of the biggest and most rapidly expanding schools in the area now. But in the mid-1970s it had two classrooms and two teachers.

“Everyone knew everyone,’’ Narelle said.

“I’d be on playground duty and people would pull of and ask directions to someone’s house. I always knew where to send them,’’ she said.

Starting a family resulted in Narelle resigning, as was the case in those pre-maternity leave days.

Narelle returned as a casual.

“Warwick Murray was the principal at Old Bar and he moved to Taree Public,’’ she said.

“I started working there.’’

Her move into indigenous education came when there was a vacancy at the school’s Purfleet annex.

“I was going there until the position was advertised,’’ Narelle explained.

Narelle believed she had found her niche, enjoying the role immensely.

“There was a delay with the advertising and when it was eventually advertised, I decided to apply.’’

The job was hers.

“Now I’m finding I’m teaching the kids of kids I've previously taught,’’ she smiled.

The Purfleet annex closed about 20 years ago, with Narelle and her students moving fulltime to Taree Public.

In 2015 Narelle won the Nanga Mai Award for ‘outstanding contribution to educational achievement by a non-Aboriginal staff member.’

Attitudes have changed over the years, she said. But she argues that race isn’t an issue for the vast majority of kids. They’re generally happy to work together. Teaching them is a privilege, not a chore. 

Narelle’s getting ready for the start of another school year, where she’ll be teaching a composite year 4/5 class at Taree Public.

“I love all the kids – even the naughty ones,’’ Narelle smiled.

“And that’s why I have no wish to retire. Not yet, anyway’’