02 Aug 2012
Brown drops by and has a whale of a time at Jetty High
Students, staff, parents and friends of Coffs Harbour (Jetty) High School welcomed Dr Bob Brown, former Greens Leader into their Hall of Fame at a special assembly on Monday 30th July. Bob attended Coffs Harbour High from 1957-9 during the time his father, a Police Officer, was stationed in Bellingen.
The school invites into the Hall of Fame ex-students who can provide inspiration to students and Bob was recognised by the school for his many roles, including as a doctor, politician, author, environmental activist, founder of the Greens Party and founder of Bush Heritage.
To prepare for his visit, students learnt in their History lessons about Bob's outstanding contribution to the environment movement, to State and Federal politics and to Australian intellectual debate over a long period of time. English classes used his life as inspiration to make short biofilms and Art classes explored his life through the frame of his many appearances in the Archibald competition.
"Our work as teachers is not just about passing on subject knowledge. It is about inspiring young people to use their personal skills and talents well, to participate fully in their community and live decent lives with respect for other people", says Patti Kearns, Principal.
"Bob Brown has shown conviction, compassion, creativity and courage over many years as a politician and activist. Our students have much to learn from his optimism and were inspired by his achievements and humility", Ms Kearns says.
Brown was treated to student performances and received personal messages from students including Jaymin Hyland-Taylor, a young Gumbayngirr man who thanked Bob for looking out for indigenous people during his time in politics. Brown was generous with his time, meeting with the Student Environment Representative Council and sharing his wisdom and experience from years of activism.
Bob shared morning tea, created by the Year 12 Hospitality class, with parents, students, teachers and community members and recited stories of Coffs Harbour High school in the late 1950s, including his time in English classes looking out of the window to see the whales passing by. Brown is soon to head to North West Western Australia in time to see the Humpback whales and their calves and to highlight the destructive gas mining proposals for the area.