I was very religious as a child and felt I had calling to be a missionary doctor in Africa. My parents had high expectations of me, as I was clever. And then fell in love at 14 and married at 18. So instead of training as a doctor I trained as a nurse for a year.
My husband was a teacher working with remote aboriginal communities. We opened a school at Nullagine in the desert of the Pilbara and I had my first opportunity to teach. I hadn’t trained as a teacher and was terrified I wasn’t doing it well. An inspector was sent to assess me and he said, “I have to tell you this is the best classroom in my district I’ve ever been in”.
We went on to be voluntary missionaries educators in Papua New Guinea for 9 years with 4 young children.
Current role; International technical advisor in gender violence, education and governance. Managing Director, SRIA Rwanda Ltd. Prof Shirley Randell AO, PhD
Older Women’s Network NSW
The Older Women’s Network in NSW believes in a society rich in social capital, where mutual respect and trust are paramount, where diversity and debate are valued and where people and their networks have a legitimate voice.
CONTACT US
Older Women’s Network NSW
8-10 Victoria Street,
Newtown NSW 2042, Australia.
+61 – 2 – 9519 8044
Newsletter
We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we work and live, and we pay our respects to Elders past and present.
We acknowledge the sorrow of the Stolen Generations and the impacts of colonisation on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
OWN NSW supports the Uluru Statement from the Heart, the call for a First Nation's Voice enshrined in the Australian Constitution and a Makarrata Commission to oversee agreement-making and truth-telling.