General News
23 October, 2024
Three times a teacher and life with young
BETTY Higgs shared stories of her life with more than 50 people at the Holy Trinity Church in Bridgewater on Tuesday. “I feel very privileged to be here,” the Arnold nonegarian told the crowd as she began to reminisce. She said that after...
BETTY Higgs shared stories of her life with more than 50 people at the Holy Trinity Church in Bridgewater on Tuesday.
“I feel very privileged to be here,” the Arnold nonegarian told the crowd as she began to reminisce. She said that after completing studies at Sydney Teachers’ College, her journey as a teacher started in the Riverina town of Walla Walla.
Much to her disappointment she was forced to retire when she married three years later, a rule she is glad no longer exists for women.
After the rules of the 1950s were dropped, and Betty was able to teach again. She surprised her husband Cam when he returned from a fishing trip with the news that she had accepted a teaching job in Bridgewater and had also gained her driver’s licence.
Betty taught grades prep and one at the Bridgewater Primary School and remembers all her students fondly, many who are still local to the Loddon Shire, including Ergo and Mane salon owner Amanda Goodwin who now does her former teacher’s hair.
After more than 15 years of teaching Betty retired for the second time, but this time, on her terms in 1993. After two years of retirement, Betty wanted to give back to the community and signed up for the Volunteers for Isolated Student Education program.
This program took her and her husband all over Australia - Cam worked on the sheep stations while Betty taught the children.
She taught two missionary children in Oenpelli, Northern Territory, now known as Gunbalanya, Katie and Jack.
Betty said teaching in the Northern Territory was different to Bridgewater but she felt privileged to have been able to experience both.
Oenpelli had green frogs in the toilets and completed schoolwork had to be mailed back to the program to be marked while the remote location had Betty riding a bicycle to work. Despite this, Betty remarked that it was an interesting placement, and she enjoyed it.
After Betty retired from teaching for the third and final time, she took up golf.
“I was very privileged to have travelled the Nullabor for golf,” Betty said. With two of her daughters Sonya and Tammy and grand-daughter Tess, she completed the course across April and May in 2018 to celebrate her 90th birthday.
The remote course had them using bottle tops to tee off with and “some not quite five-star accommodation”, said Sonya.
Betty told Tuesday’s gathering she was grateful for life’s experiences and felt privileged to have been able educate so many young minds.