Toongabbie Christian College

STORIES OF GOD’S FAITHFULNESS

FOREWORD AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS JOHAN GRIESEL Principal 2016-Present

I will praise and give thanks to You, 0 Lord, among the people; I will sing praises to You among the nations. For Your faithfulness and loving kindness are great, reaching to the heavens, And Your truth to the clouds. Be exalted above the heavens, 0 God; Let Your glory and majesty be over all the earth. Psalm 57: 9-11 (AMP) Toongabbie Christian College celebrated 40 years of God’s faithfulness in 2021. This anniversary is testament to our Loving Father’s faithfulness and the faith, commitment and hard work of those who responded to God’s call to open a Christian school. Many people involved with the College, both past and present, have left an everlasting imprint on the lives of our students and helped the College to stay true to its calling “To be a caring Christian Community that supports families by providing a quality Christ-centred education which develops the whole person for life and eternity”. Without a doubt, the faith and visionary outreach of Toongabbie Baptist Church should be acknowledged for helping to provide access to Christian Education in Western Sydney. We are so grateful to all those pioneers who not only answered God’s call but, in humility, rolled up their sleeves and ensured God’s call could be celebrated 40 years later. Toongabbie Christian College honours each and every person who has contributed to our story over the past 40 years. We want to express our gratitude to the founders of the College, parents/carers who partner with the College for their child’s development and education, students past and present and the staff of the College who have all made a contribution by serving the College with their dedication. So many people contributed to this publication. Thank you to all the contributors of the 40 stories of God’s faithfulness we received. Thank you for telling your story, our story. Your care and passion is heartwarming and captures the amazing love of our Heavenly Father. The dream of this publication required an enormous commitment from several of the College staff: thank you for a spectacular outcome and for facilitating the telling of our story. Thank you to Laurel Offereins, Rachelle Baker and two former students for the collection of stories, the layout, graphic design and spearheading this publication, namely Adrian and Rebecca Elmer, who are current staff, parents, and graduates themselves. Grace to you and peace [inner calm and spiritual well-being] from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God in every remembrance of you,always offering every prayer of mine with joy [and with specific requests] for all of you,[thanking God] for your participation and partnership [both your comforting fellowship and gracious contributions] in [advancing] the good news [regarding salvation] from the first day [you heard it] until now. I am convinced and confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will [continue to] perfect and complete it until the day of Christ Jesus [the time of His return]. Philippians 1:2-6 (AMP)

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40 IS A SPECIAL NUMBER AKRAM ZAKI Teacher 2018-Present

In the Bible, the number 40 comes up again and again in different stories and in different ways. But there’s always something in common. For 40 days and nights it rained upon the earth in the day of Noah. For 400 years God’s people were in slavery and cried out for help in Egypt. For 40 years God’s people wandered around in the desert. In the book of Judges, God’s enemies oppressed His people for 40 years. For 40 days Goliath, the horrible giant, came and threatened God’s chosen people. For 40 days the people of Nineveh wondered if God would forgive their evil deeds or punish them. And then after the book of Malachi, God was silent for 400 years. So, 40 sounds like a bad number, doesn’t it? Well, let’s see what happens after the 40. After 40 years of wandering, God led His people into their promised land. After 40 years, God raised up Samson to push back and destroy God’s enemies. After 40 days, a young boy called David came and God helped him defeat Goliath. After 40 days of waiting, God showed Ninevah that He had forgiven them. And after 400 years of silence, God spoke. As a human baby crying in the dark. So you see, 40 is a special number after all. The number 40 is a reminder, in the Bible, to show us that even when things are hard, When you are afraid, That God is faithful, And that He will get you through. But not only is 40 a number where God reveals His faithfulness to us, it is a time where we are called to respond. After the flood, Noah and his family were called to live a new way and make a new world that would obey God’s words. After Moses came, the Israelites were called to trust and follow God through the wilderness to their home. After wandering for 40 years, God’s people were called to enter into their Promise Land and take it back from God’s enemies. Only by trusting and obeying Him would they succeed. After Samson, the Israelites were called to return to God and obey Him again. After David killed Goliath, God’s people were called to not be afraid of any other giant because God is always bigger. After God forgave them, the Ninevites were called to continue to obey and trust in God. And after those 400 years of silence, we are called to trust and obey the voice of God, spoken by His Son, Jesus. As we celebrate 40 years of Toongabbie Christian College, I hope you can see that God has been faithful. In the good times and the hard. In easy days and difficult ones. And I really wish that this gives you hope for the future. 40 is only the beginning. The rain stopped after 40 days and Noah and his family were safe. After 400 years God sent a saviour, Moses, to free His people. When you have dark days, When there is a struggle,

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LYNETTE HESTER Parent 1981-1992 Head Teacher 1981-1991

As a teenager, I could not reconcile God’s call on my life to serve Him in a full-time capacity with my passionate desire to teach. The opportunity to be the first Head Teacher at Toongabbie Baptist Christian Community School showed me His plan. I had seen the vision of bringing God’s story to all aspects of classroom learning while doing casual teaching in a Catholic school. I was concerned about the deliberate shift in public education from the Judeo-Christian ethic to Secular Humanism. I was excited about the door that God was opening in Christian education. Early challenges included teaching multiple grades on multiple sites. In the second year of the school my 4/5/6 class had lessons in the Salvation Army Hall, the local Catholic school, the Council swimming pool, cooking classes and Library, with lunchtime recreation at the local oval. Highlights of my time at Toongabbie included: Being very well supported by an enthusiastic Board, a willing and committed parent body, volunteer helpers such as Chris Beckett stepping into secretarial duties, Anne Wood setting up our own library and a growing team of excellent teachers beginning with Libby Colla as co-teacher for the first year. Praying for our needs and seeing answers to prayer, for example, the Maths texts delivered just as we finished praying for them. The family spirit that developed with older students coaching and caring for younger students. The march from the church buildings to the new site as the permanent buildings were dedicated to the glory of God. Leading the Ministry Choir that told God’s story in song to a wide range of audiences including national television, a tour of the North Island of New Zealand and many public venues, for example, Martin Place. The 1988 Bicentenary Celebration where schools travelled from throughout Australia to perform at the Sydney Royal Easter Show. The Festival of Gifts which gave many students the opportunity to develop and showcase their God-given performance gifts. Annual musicals which told God’s story in memorable ways. These were a feature of our Presentation Nights. The moving experience of singing The Lord is my Shepherd in a Maori chapel as a choir member travelled home to be with his dying Mum – and returning to sing the same song at her funeral. The moving testimony of a parent responding to God because he sensed the Holy Spirit’s presence when he brought his daughter into the school grounds. The privilege of having our daughter, Ruth, and our son, Luke, among the student body. The joy of seeing students choose to follow Jesus and follow Him into a wide range of occupations and professions, including pastoral leadership, worship leading and returning as teachers to continue telling God’s story at Toongabbie and other schools. Witnessing how in ten years a two-teacher fledgling school of 35 students grew, by the grace of God, to a double streamed Primary Department, feeding into a flourishing Secondary Department. Praise God that He led the way at every step.

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1981 FIRST DAY, LYNETTE OR RIGHT

1982 OCTAVIA STREET OPENING LYNETTE CENTRE

1981 AT THE BLACKBOARD

1982 LYNETTE CONDUCTING THE BAND

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PETER HESTER Parent 1981-1992 Teacher 1983-1991 Principal 1983-1991

The first property purchased as the school grew was down the road from the Church, alongside Girraween Creek. Mr Ginger was the owner and the story we heard was that his wife came home one Saturday morning to announce that she had passed a bank auctioning a block of land and house, had bid $35,000, and successfully bought 28 Octavia Street. When we approached Mr Ginger 18 months later, seeking to buy the property for the school, his asking price was $100,000. I was unable to talk him down; his reasoning, “$100,000 has a nice ring to it!” At the far end of the property was an old house which we felt could be used for some short term class accommodation. After an all-day working bee preparing the property we arrived the next day to find the house had been vandalised; wall panels had been smashed and various other nuisance damage done. A short time later, there was a call from the fire brigade to say that the house was on fire. The fire could have been caused by an old black and white TV we had left running in the house to deter repeat vandalism. The fire brigade was able to save part of the house and one back corner remained usable. After further working bees, this became the Primary Department office. The remains of the rest of the house were buried in a large hole dug on the property by a parent. The insurance on the house provided part payment for a two classroom demountable building which was added to the property. These were the first real classrooms for the school. A growing school requires increasing space and the acquisition of additional land was an early challenge involving seven separate negotiations. One of the first blocks available shared only a corner post with the Octavia Street site. The owner of the adjoining block was reluctant to sell the rear of his property which would provide the needed access between the blocks. The Council informed us that we would need a five metre corridor from one block to the next. A very accommodating town planner agreed that we could satisfy this requirement if the adjoining property owner agreed to sell us a quadrant shaped portion at the corner of his land with a five metre radius. Providentially, the reluctant owner changed his mind and sold us the back section of the block and later his whole property. In miraculous ways the Lord provided the land required for each stage of the school and the resources to pay for it. In seeking short-term accommodation while waiting on Government funding and new building construction, we came across an old classroom block at a school near Penrith that was virtually being given away. This well-used building had already had a number of “lives” and we knew this would be its last. How do you get a 25 metre building from Penrith to Toongabbie? We engaged a contractor who assured us he could deliver it in one piece. We paid the agreed price and the building duly arrived on site. After offloading, the driver and his crew came looking for payment, having received nothing from the contractor. They must have finally been successful in chasing what they were owed as we heard nothing further. Whilst old, the building served the school well as the Library, until it was demolished after the completion of Stage 1 of the High School. Living alongside the creek caused some headaches for the Primary Department. Following the addition of permanent buildings in Stage 1, the school experienced two “fifty year” floods in 18 months. Floodwater rose to just under the student desks and much damage was done to office furniture and floor coverings. Fortunately, I had been in the downstairs section of the building and had seen the water come through the vents on the upper side wall before the water from the creek came through the doors. The insurance company therefore classed the damage as due to run-off water rather than flood and paid out on the claim. A lighter side of the flood experience was seeing a couple of parents tying the Principal’s car to a tree to stop it floating off down the creek. I may have preferred to collect the insurance on that as well!

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1982 BURNT HOUSE OCTAVIA STREET

1988 PRIMARY DEMOUNTABLES

1989 FLOODED PRIMARY BUILDING

1987 LIBRARY OPENING, REV PETER HESTER SPEAKING

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1981 OFFICIAL SCHOOL OPENING

1983 HIGH SCHOOL CAMP

1990 HIGH SCHOOL STAGE II OPENING

1988 FETE BUY-A-BRICK, PETER ON RIGHT

1990 FOOD TECH LUNCHEON

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PETER HESTER (continued…)

One of the critical factors in the start and ongoing development of a school is the ability to raise funds. One means widely utilised is the School Fete. Not only is this an effective fundraiser, but it also builds tremendous bonds within the school community while helping develop positive relationships with the local community as well. A few notable memories remain. One fete coincided with the local council clean up. A group of parents took a trailer out the night before the fete and raided the potentially saleable items left out by residents on the footpath. I think that stall was one of the most successful the following day. Another fete was held during the building of Stage 1 of the Primary School. I decided to “sell” bricks that were piled ready for the brickies to lay. For $1 people could write their initials on the side of the brick. These were then built into the walls of the building with the writing facing into the wall cavity. They will still be there for some future archaeologist to discover one day. By the time of the next fete, the building work was up to putting on the roof, so tiles were on “sale”. A gentleman stopped to enquire the cost. When told the asking price was $1, he responded, “That is cheap. Do you deliver?” Fete days were certainly memorable. In 1982, it became apparent that there were sufficient Year 6 graduates to justify extension of the school into Year 7. With Primary classes already overflowing available spaces, a temporary new site had to be found. Eric and Tanya Hudson had previously been involved in child care with the Churches of Christ using Dunmore House at Pendle Hill. This property was now vacant and available for lease at a moderate sum. After successful negotiations with authorities, the appointment of staff and the enrolment of students, the High School commenced classes in Dunmore House in 1983 with 23 students. I was invited by the Board to transfer from Regents Park Christian Community School (where I was Deputy Principal) and take on the role of Principal of the whole school. Many memories were created in those early high school years: A large tree that students could sit in with a rope swing which required “Rules for the Rope and Tree”; A photocopier which required its own fire extinguisher because jammed paper tended to catch on fire; Concerts run for the residents of the adjoining nursing home; Soccer games played on a sloping field; The day an annoyed teacher smashed her hand down on an overhead projector, smashing the glass; Outdoor Science lessons on a portable laboratory bench. They were also great years of spiritual growth and blessing, and many friendships were made which continue to this day. Three years later the High School was able to transfer to Stage 1 of purpose built classrooms on land adjoining the Primary School. Whether it was provision of staff, students or accommodation, the Lord proved that He had anticipated every need. The school continued to grow and be a blessing to all involved.

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CHRISTINE BECKETT Parent 1981-1991 Grandparent 2006-Present Staff Member 1981-1985 Board Member 1995-2010

On the first day of Toongabbie Baptist Christian Community School (a bit of a mouthful, especially when answering the phone in the office), I took my two children to start school and I offered to help in the office. It was a privilege to work there for the next five years. I have many wonderful memories of those times. As the Office Secretary I had many different duties such as playground duty, helping with excursions, library work, typing and producing the Meeting Place on a manual typewriter and copying it on a Gestetner, arranging hot dog days and many others. During heavy rain the area where the office was would flood. The school acquired the property in Octavia Street with a house on it, the P&F and other volunteers worked very hard to clean the house at a working bee on the Saturday then a few nights later it caught fire. All that was left became my office. When we moved from the Toongabbie Baptist Church site to the school site in Octavia Street. It was great fun to chase the magpies with a broom to keep them from annoying the students. We used to have fetes to raise money for the school and my small office would be packed with items for sale with not much room to move. It was also the staff room. The enthusiasm of Lynette Hester (the first Head Teacher) was contagious and it was thrilling to see the students come back from eisteddfods and festivals with rewards for their efforts. It was a great time of community and all families were involved in helping at functions. Moving into the new buildings was a real blessing as we had room to move. It was a wonderful time seeing how God answered many prayers and blessed us all as we worked together for His Kingdom. In 1981 there were thirty-seven students in the school, including Infants and Primary. Primary students were together in one classroom at the former Toongabbie Baptist Church building. Infants were in another room with our beloved Infants teacher, Miss Libby Taylor. We had workbooks for our grade level, and would all sit at desks doing our own work. I was in Year 5. Mrs Hester was my teacher. She taught me to play chords on the piano, for which I am forever grateful. I remember one day Mrs Hester sat us all in a circle and asked us, one at a time, to sing. This was the audition for our Noah’s Ark musical. I was so embarrassed that when it came to my turn I didn’t sing. Two years later, in Year 7, I was playing guitar, singing and leading worship for Chapel. What a turnaround! Music always featured at TCC, or TBCCS, as we used to call it. When we got to high school we called it TBCCHS, TCC is easier! We used to go to Girraween Oval at lunch to play, as we didn’t have a playground at the church. One lunch time, I was standing on a low tree branch, leaning against a tree and I slipped. A jagged part of the tree branch went through my leg. I was taken to hospital in an ambulance. My lovely friend, Alison, was so worried but after many stitches and some TLC, I was fine. When I was in Year 7 in 1983, our grade was the only grade in high school. In 1984 I was in Year 8 and the High School had Years 7 and 8. Each year a grade was added. Our year was always the eldest. We were situated at Dunmore House in Pendle Hill. We enjoyed our time there. I remember walking past a petrol station on the way to school from the train station. Petrol was 39 cents a litre.

ADELE WAKELING (née O’CONNELL) Student 1981-1986 Parent 2011-Present Staff Member 2012-Present

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1982 STAFF, CHRISTINE FAR RIGHT

1982 SCHOOL FETE

1982 SCHOOL OFFICE, CHRISTINE

1983 FIRST YEAR 7 CLASS, ADELE THIRD FROM LEFT (FACE HIDDEN)

1981 ADELE BACK ROW, SECOND FROM LEFT

1985 ADELE FRONT ROW

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ADELE WAKELING (continued…)

My earliest memories of my school days at Toongabbie are from the early years of the School operating out of Toongabbie Baptist Church on the corner of Metella Rd and Octavia St. I was walking down the stairs, holding the rail we were not to slide down, meeting a couple of my friends Stephen Love and David Wiseman, who told me they were going up to eat “Nutella” Road. Miss Taylor was my Infants teacher and she taught us how to count in Italian. My world grew with the school as classrooms moved from church halls to demountables and then to the first permanent buildings on Octavia Street. I remember clearly the house fire in the first building renovated for office space and the once in a hundred year flood that came twice. While many held out for the lunchtime auction at the annual School Fete, I spent my money on home made sherbet bags and the face painting. Regular competition with other Christian Community Schools was also a highlight; from Carnivals and Cross Country to the Festival of Gifts, a trip to Old Sydney Town and the special Bicentennial celebrations. We were a small school but we were not alone. School musicals added to the soundtrack of my life with songs like What do you do on a rainy day in an Ark? And Everyone calls him Sir . To this day I cannot read the book of Daniel without recalling Johnathan Hughes as Nebuchadnezzar threatening to do terrible things to his three friends. As part of the Ministry Choir, we performed in shopping centres and retirement villages and had the enormous privilege of traveling to New Zealand. There we ate literally a pallet load of kiwi fruit and visited many schools on the North Island. At one school the entire student body entered without a word spoken among them and then lifted the roof off with the whole school participating in a Maori welcome. We brought singing, drama and dancing but I’m not sure we ever did recover Colby’s “Missing Memory”. I can’t say enough about the teachers who guided me along the way. There were those whom I idolised as a child and those I respected as a teenager. I have had the privilege of working beside some of them as a beginning teacher and to this day count a number of them friends. They were as genuine and Christ-honouring as teachers as they are real and faithful men and women today. People used to ask me what it was like having school principals for parents and I would say, “What is it like to not have a parent for a principal?” as that was the case for me for most of my schooling. For all that, I am grateful, and I know I have my parents to thank; two people who remain as committed as ever to seeing children offered excellence in Christian education. Something I will be forever, I should say eternally, thankful for. I remember a few of us praying in the sports storeroom at the Dunmore House property. God was there and touched our hearts. I remember that on every school camp God would move our hearts toward Him. Students would pray, cry, read the Bible and encourage each other. Those experiences brought us closer to God and to each other. One time, in a Year 8 Geography class, we were all bitten by the tsetse fly and fell asleep at our desks, to show Mr Clark that we had been listening during his lessons. Unfortunately, we didn’t introduce our demonstration properly and he assumed the reverse. I will always be grateful that I had the opportunity to attend a school with a purposeful focus on Jesus and God’s love for us. This remains the heart of the College today, forty years later, by the grace of God and the efforts of many. Amen.

LUKE HESTER Student 1981-1992 School Captain 1992

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2011 FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN ADELE, MATT AND THE WAKELING TWINS

1986 YEAR 10 FORMAL

1982 LUKE, BACK ROW THIRD LEFT

1989 DANCE LESSONS ON THE COURT

1984 SEVEN HILLS SHOPPING CENTRE, LUKE FAR LEFT

1992 SCHOOL CAPTAIN

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1981 FIRST DAY OF A NEW SCHOOL

1986 PRIMARY STAFF, PAMELA FRONT 2ND RIGHT

2007 PAMELA WITH 3 OF HER GRANDCHILDREN

1989 FLOOD CLEAN-UP

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PAMELA PARKER

In 1984, my first classroom was one end of the Catholic Hall in Aurelia Street, Toongabbie. I shared the hall with Mr Gordon Bromhead who taught his class at the opposite end of the hall. I had Year 4 and he had Year 5. We were in this location as there were no buildings yet built on the now School land. There were 12 students in Year 4 when the year began but it grew in size as the year progressed. The only equipment we had was an easel with a small blackboard on it. No such thing as whiteboards or computers. In 1985, the next classroom was a portable building situated where the library now stands. Again, I shared this building with Mr Bromhead. We now had bigger blackboards and a room to ourselves with our classes. However, because of some electrical difficulties, only one room at a time could have a heater on or an air conditioner. Windows were open during summer but no flyscreens meant we had the company of flies and an occasional bee. My next room was in the front office area of the first brick building on the block. Here I taught a Year 3 class. We were right near the Head Teacher’s office which meant the students had to work quietly most of the time. Again, the equipment consisted of a small blackboard resting on a cupboard. Desks were very close together and the students did not move from their seat very often. No group work or physical activities took place in this space. For the next few years I taught in normal classrooms where we could enjoy heaters and air conditioning when needed. Students were able to move around the classroom and group work could occur. A large blackboard was available and I would fill the board with spelling lists, sums and sentences for grammar lessons. As the school population grew there was a need for more land. A block on Metella Road was purchased. There was an old pink house situated on this block. It was decided that this house would be used for two classes that year. My next classroom was a tiny narrow room which had been a verandah enclosed at the back of the house. The other classroom was the lounge room of the house. There was another small room which we used where the students would sit on the wooden floor. This was where I taught another Year 4 class. With no heating available I would take the students out into the sunshine along with their desks. We all enjoyed this experience. When the next building was completed once again I enjoyed a new classroom with modern facilities. Class numbers grew until it was quite normal to be teaching 30 students. As I look back at my 20 years of teaching at Toongabbie I appreciate the wonderful people I taught with and the many children I was able to nurture. What a privilege it has been to be part of a growing Christian school.

Parent 1981-1996 Teacher 1984-2004 Grandparent 2005-Present

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ADRIAN ELMER Student 1982-1989 Teacher 2002-Present Parent 2002-Present

On the first day of February in 1982, my little sister, Rosita, and I entered the grounds of Toongabbie Baptist Church on Metella Rd and had our first lessons at TBCCS. Since that day, there has never been a day where an Elmer wasn’t either a student, a teacher or a parent at the School. I started as a student in Year 4, then did my HSC in 1989 as part of the school’s first ever HSC cohort (all 17 of us!). After my youngest sister, Raquel, finished up as a student, my wife, Rebecca, got herself a job at the school. Then in 2002, I returned as a teacher. Both Rebecca and I have been here ever since as teachers and both our children have now done their entire schooling here (Æowyn, our youngest, is doing her HSC in 2021). To say that the College has been a significant part of our lives is something of an understatement, not the least because of the fact that Rebecca and I met and became best friends while students here. It was exciting, as a student, to be doing things completely differently to how kids in other schools did them. I learnt years later that it was a conscious decision on the part of the pioneers of Christian Community Schools in Australia and not just a stop-gap measure, but as a kid I loved the outsourcing of the local community for the things other schools only had school-sized versions of. Our school library was the best, because it was Blacktown Library, where we went once a week and wandered through thousands, rather than hundreds, of books, records, tapes and magazines, all of which I borrowed avidly. Our sports facilities were the best, because they were Blacktown Ice-Skating Rink, or Wentworthville Swimming Pool, or Toongabbie Squash Centre, places where a sport loving kid could really try lots of things properly, rather than just a patch of half-dried grass behind the school buildings. Our Primary School Food Tech premises were the best, because they were Blacktown City Council’s education catering kitchen, where I got my first taste of my love of cooking. There is a long-standing misconception that Christian schools are a bubble, hiding students from the ‘real world’. To the contrary, we were out in the real world nearly every day. Obviously, the economics of scale, and WHS rules, have changed education significantly in the last 40 years. I hope that as teachers now, we are still actively creating a place where our students are not ‘protected’ from our world, but are actively taught the tools with which they can engage that world to make a real difference in it and to point our world towards what it is truly searching for. When I completed my HSC back in 1989, my reference from the Principal, Rev Peter Hester, stated that I was “firm in (my) faith and demonstrated a clear, though considered, application of Christian principles in (my) day-to-day living”. That little two word phrase, ‘though considered’, in the middle meant a great deal to me at the time and as I look back, I think it has been what has driven me in my entire career as a teacher. I don’t want to be a Christian because of the traditions, because of the history, because of the familiarity or because it’s just what I was told when I was a kid. I want to be a Christian because I have considered it, poked at it from every angle, tested it and found for myself that it stands on its own feet as the clear principle on which to base my life. I want that for my daughters. And I want that for my students. Whether they knew it consciously at the time or not, my teachers at TBCCS enabled and helped me to do that for myself. I hope that in return, I have been able to poke and prod the beliefs of my own students.

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1985 ADRIAN, LYING DOWN

2008 IN THE ART ROOM

2009 YEAR 12 VISUAL ARTS

1983 YEAR 6 PHOTO

2016 ELMER FAMILY PORTRAIT

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GENEVIEVE BRUMMELL Parent 1983-2001 Teacher 1983-2018 Assistant Principal 2006-2016

In the early 1980s we were challenged by our pastor to consider Christian schooling, in particular TBCCS for our children. We lived in the area and were excited by what we had heard about this fledgling school. We decided to give it a try. Our earliest memories were of 1983 as our family embarked on the Christian school journey. Our daughter Kathryn’s Kindergarten class was held in a Sunday School classroom in Toongabbie Baptist Church. Lunchtime saw the teachers crossing the students over Octavia Street to the school site to join the Year 3 to 6 classes. In 1985 our second child, Amanda, also began her school days in the same Kindergarten classroom at the church. While resources were scarce, the quality of teaching was excellent. The students enjoyed a rich variety of additional activities: carnivals, excursions and special events. 1985 also saw the opening of the two-storey Primary building which housed five classrooms. The official opening, where the students marched down Octavia Street, was unbelievably exciting. The students had modern, purpose-built classrooms and Kindergarten had a spacious learning area. This area has continued as a Kindergarten classroom to this day. The position of the new building was soon to cause grief when, on two occasions, the adjoining Girraween Creek flooded, inundating the K-2 classrooms and admin area. Those early days at TBCCS were rich years as we learnt about Christian education and how to implement it in the classroom. The sense of community was strong and each family worked hard to support a growing school. There were Saturday working bees where teams of parents kept the school grounds in good condition. Twice a year, School Fetes provided funds for much needed school resources. Parents served in the stalls at each of the fetes. Fetes helped foster a strong sense of community. Our family served at one fete on the Saturday morning even though we had a family wedding, in which the girls were flower girls, the evening before. The annual swimming night at the beginning of the year was a wonderful community event. Families made great sacrifices to enable the school to prosper. Parents volunteered their services free. Mrs Rosita Elmer, a hairdresser, cut children’s hair and donated the money to the school. As a casual teacher I, Genevieve, was always asked whether I was working as a paid employee or as a volunteer. If I worked for a day I donated my time. I really enjoyed working as a casual teacher throughout the 80s as it allowed me to learn first-hand what a difference Christian education makes to young lives. I saw my own three children grow in their faith as they were challenged through their lessons, at school camps and through other school events. The children were given incredible opportunities in their Primary years. In 1988, for the Bicentenary of Australia, many Christian schools from around the nation, came to Sydney to join together to perform in the main arena of the Sydney Royal Easter Show. It was a spectacular show and a wonderful witness to the wider community. Many of the school families, including ourselves, billeted students from all over Australia. The students developed an understanding and appreciation that they were part of a large and growing group of schools. The 90s was a period of rapid growth for the school with the Primary expanding from one to two classes per grade. Secondary came on site from Dunmore House at Pendle Hill and had their first students undertake the HSC. I, Gary, left the state system after 15 years of teaching and became a class teacher at TBCCS. I felt called to support the fledgling Secondary Department. Our first child was going to high school and I wanted to help provide additional experience to assist the school to grow strongly.

GARY BRUMMELL Parent 1983-2001 Teacher 1990-2000 Assistant Principal 1992-2000

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1988 NEWLY INSTALLED PRIMARY DEMOUNTABLES

1998 BOYS’ FOOTBALL GALA DAY, COACH GARY

1999 YEAR 6 CAMP, GENEVIVE FAR RIGHT

1999 YEAR 12 GRADUATION, GARY RIGHT

1990 MUFTI-DAY, GARY DRESSED AS A STUDENT

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GENEVIEVE AND GARY BRUMMELL (continued…)

In 1992 Garry Gannell was appointed Principal of TBCCS and I became Assistant Principal. I remained in that role until I was called to be Principal of Christian Community High School in the year 2000. To this day I hold very fond memories of the staff, students and parents. It was a significant learning curve, with a heavy and challenging workload. It was also a period of great fun and one in which I laughed regularly (often at my own expense). It was an honour to serve with the staff, many of whom are the best teachers I have had the pleasure to work with. Becoming Assistant Principal opened opportunities to become directly involved in the wider Christian School movement through serving on State and National Councils. It is not surprising that TCC has developed and provided more future principals than any other Christian school in NSW. In 1992, I (Genevieve) decided to become a full-time classroom teacher and over the following years I enjoyed teaching some amazing students in many grades. There were many highlights including coaching the School’s debating team, which won the CCS Debating competition two years in a row, trips to Canberra, school camps with Year 6 and rich learning experiences with the students. The 2000s saw my role change from teacher to K-2 Coordinator and then to Assistant Principal, Primary. This was a period of huge change for the school as the Primary grew from double stream to triple stream. There was also the exciting purchase of new land in Octavia Street. That facilitated the building of the fabulous new classroom block with spacious, light- filled classrooms and a great open space which could be used for chapels, drama and dance. We commenced our involvement in the school in 1983 and remained involved until my retirement in 2016. That meant the Brummell family was involved in TCC continuously for over 34 years. It is a great joy to reflect on the young seedling that commenced in 1981 and today is a thriving and highly regarded Christian school. It really emphasises the original school motto: Grow Up Into Christ. How does a school move from one location to another? Toongabbie Baptist Christian Community School moved from Dunmore House to its present site by walking. Can you imagine a long line of students, each carrying a chair or a box of books or papers, walking along the road, crossing streets, turning corners and finally arriving more than three kilometres away at the new buildings? This is how the Secondary Department moved. There was such a buzz of excitement. The big day had finally arrived! Our new buildings were ready for us to occupy. The school gathered on the lawn in front of the old house. After a prayer and some announcements, each student picked up their burdens and started off down the street. Teachers were stationed at each intersection to ensure the students passed in safety. Heavy items were conveyed in the conventional way, but this method meant that each member of the community was involved. On arrival at the new site the students delivered their items and they enjoyed the freedom which comes from a job well done. The next day lessons resumed but it took a while for us to take our new quarters for granted.

ROBYN CLUNAS Teacher 1984-2002 Board Member 1984-2011 Parent 1988-1996

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2008 SERVING THE COMMUNITY

2011 BE BRAVE DAY

2008 GENEVIEVE, ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL PRIMARY

1984 SECONDARY STAFF, ROBYN BACK RIGHT

1988 YEAR 8Y CLASS PHOTO, ROBYN RIGHT

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ROBYN CLUNAS (continued…)

French Trip to New Caledonia Did you know that there is a part of France which is only three hours away from Australia? It is the island of New Caledonia. Even though it is far from France, the people are French citizens, they speak French and they vote in French elections. In 1996, a group of students from Toongabbie Baptist Christian Community School were given the opportunity to visit this fascinating place. In those days everyone in Year 7 studied French. Then in Year 8 students made a choice between French and Commerce. The Year 8 class that year had 30 students but only seven boys took up the challenge to spend a week away from their parents, sightseeing and speaking French. Being their French teacher, Miss Housel (a friend), Andrew Clunas, a former student studying at university and I accompanied the boys. There was great excitement at Mascot airport when the boys said goodbye to their parents. For some it was their first flight. They had to present their passports and look after their own luggage. They pretended they were travelling on their own, as if their teacher just happened to be on the same flight. When they arrived, they couldn’t read some of the signs. They were written in French and all the people were speaking French. They had to remember to say ‘Bonjour’ instead of ‘Hello’ and ‘Merci’ instead of ‘Thank you’. They tried to use French whenever they could remember the words they had learnt. Even the food was different. The boys were able to sample baguettes, various cheeses, different meat dishes and various yummy desserts. Trying to understand the French menus was fun. One day they went into the capital city Noumea. After visiting the market, the boys were given free time to wander and to find their own way back to the hotel. Some became a bit lost but eventually they all arrived safe. The group enjoyed a visit to the aquarium where they saw colourful tropical fish in tanks, tiny sea horses and a variety of local crustaceans. Another morning was spent in a museum, learning about the history of New Caledonia and its peoples. There was also a bus ride into the interior of the island passing through mountains and across rivers where they learnt about the Melanesian people who have lived on the island since before the arrival of the French. They passed through tiny villages and visited a mission settlement where they ate lunch Melanesian style. One glorious day was spent swimming and snorkeling at a nearby island where there was a lighthouse which had been built in France and transported, in sections, to New Caledonia. Because our hotel was right on the beach there were many other opportunities for swimming and water sports. The boys enjoyed their attempts to wind surf. We all cheered when a boy was successful at standing on his board for more than a few seconds. There were French classes each day before they were free to explore and soak up the atmosphere of a foreign place. Soon it was time to return home. Everyone looked down onto a tropical paradise as they flew away. The boys thought this trip was a perfect way to study a language and to see it in action. They came home with some souvenirs, photos and lots of happy memories.

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1995 YEAR 8 FRENCH FOOD DAY

1998 FAMILY GROUP SOCIAL

2011 30TH ANNIVERSARY BOARD CHAIR SPEECH

1996 A MEAL IN NEW CALEDONIA

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DAVID RUDD Student 1984-1989 School Captain 1987-1989

It was a privilege to have been part of the early vision of Toongabbie Baptist Church, to have had the opportunity (with my co-captain Louise Woodhouse) to cut the ribbon when we moved to the new site in Toongabbie and to go on to pioneer Years 11 and 12 in 1988 and 1989. There were no more than 18 of us who went on to become the first HSC graduates. I can still remember every one of my classmates over the years by name (and nickname - Mad Mattho, Woofman, Emu, Turkey, Pineapple and Kunja to name a few} and have been fortunate to have stayed in touch with several to this day. The Call - to Grow up into Christ. In the years since school; worship, witness and service have remained key parts of my life. I currently work as the Director — Innovation and Project Office for the Synod of the Uniting Church and my family; Beck (my wife) and our two girls Caitlin (16) and Jess (13) all attend Parramatta Baptist Church. My career, my faith and my relationship with God have to a large extent been shaped by the committed teachers who guided me throughout my high school years and I am indebted to them. Thank you. My prayer is that those of you who fill the hallways and classrooms of TCC today (as we once did), make the most of the opportunity, under the guidance of teachers who dedicate themselves not only to your education but your development as future leaders and disciples in the communities, workplaces and churches of tomorrow - don’t waste it. May God continue to bless, touch and work through all those who teach and learn at TCC.

The year is 1984. The dollar coin came into circulation, Advance Australia Fair became our official national anthem and green and gold were adopted as our official sporting colours. It also marked a significant time in my life: The Destination - Dunmore House, Pendle Hill (Google it - it still looks the same today). This was high school… It was not what I was expecting, having come from a large public primary school. It felt like I was going to school in a small remote rural community, not suburban Sydney. But I loved it. I have very fond memories of disembarking at Pendle Hill Station from old red rattlers (they were trains, Google it, we really did travel in them) to make the short walk to Dunmore House, an old, historic two-storey building with lots of character and charm, perched atop a grassy hill. The Purpose - to begin Year 7 at Toongabbie Baptist Christian Community School. I did so, in those early days, with only 30 or so other kids making up Year 7. One of whom some of you know today as Mr Elmer (we called him AJE back them). Rev Peter Hester was our Principal and together with a small band of dedicated teachers, set about ensuring we had a quality education and that we grew as young men and women, in Christ, prepared for the grown-up world that we would soon encounter. These teachers laid the foundation for celebrating TCC today. My personal favourite (shhh, don’t tell anyone) was Mr (tuck your shirt in, young man!) Lawrence. Can you believe my favourite teacher was the one who used to pick on me to read, again and again and again (to my misery and the delight of my classmates), because my voice took so long to break?

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1984 YEAR 7, CLASS PHOTO

1985 DUNMORE HOUSE

1989 TBCCS CRICKET TEAM CAPTAIN

1987 PRESENTATION NIGHT CAPTAIN’S SPEECH

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PETER LAWRENCE Teacher 1985-1989 & 1993-2015 Grandparent 2018-Present

The bell is for me, not for you! (For those who can remember) Whether it’s Toongabbie Baptist Christian Community School or Toongabbie Christian College, ‘Toonie’ has been very dear to my heart for many, many years. The two leaders that I would like to honour are Rev Dr Robert Frisken, who introduced me to Christian education, appointing me to a fill-in position, in 1984; and to Rev Peter Hester, who gave me a full-time position in 1985. In fear of leaving out even one of the many who influenced my life, both staff and students, who have become close friends, I will refrain from mentioning anyone else. You know who you are and I thank you, deeply. Now, as I pick up my granddaughter from school, every week, I often reflect on the then and now. All things change and so has Toonie; the name, the crest, the motto, the uniform, the buildings. Do I feel nostalgic and reminiscent? Very much so. I pray that the vision of a ‘Christ-centered’ education will continue to cause students to ‘Grow Up Into Christ’ so that it continues to be an exciting place of learning to live out the Gospel, through the support of Church and Home. God bless the leadership, to this purpose and calling. Many, many blessings.

1994 THE TEACHER OF ENGLISH

2012 STAFF PHOTO

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REBECCA ELMER (née WEAVER) Student 1985-1990 School Captain 1990 Teacher 1998-2002 & 2009-Present Parent 2007-Present

I moved from the country to the city at the age of 12 and was warned about moving to the ‘Big Smoke’, so I was sad and not a little bit scared of what a city high school would be like. It turned out that going to Toongabbie Baptist Christian Community School, then situated at Dunmore House, Pendle Hill, was like joining a family in a great big storybook house. For some classes, we lined up and entered through floor to ceiling windows on the front verandah. We could see the Harbour Bridge from the playground. We even had an out-of-bounds spooky basement that cast creepy shadows on the wall if you reached in and switched on the light. I made a lot of good friends. Some are now my fellow teachers. I also met my husband, Adrian, when we were 12. Whole families became friends and our parents worked shoulder to shoulder to build the school from the ground up. My dad worked hard at the fetes and even helped in the demolition of old buildings. When he died in 2006, my mum honoured his memory and his link to the school by creating the Ted Weaver Award for excellence in Mandatory Technology because he was good with his hands. I’m interested every year to know who is the winner. When I became a teacher, I knew that many of the teachers I had loved were still at Toonie. I thought that it must be a good place to work if the teachers were so happy to stay. I was over the moon when Mike Budden gave me a job teaching English and English as a Second Language. I discovered that the loving community was still the same and it felt like coming home. Adrian and I have two daughters, lmojjen and Æowyn. Being parents at Toonie has turned out to be just as wonderful as being a student and a teacher. Some of my favourite memories have been of dispensing sticky tape for junk craft in the colourful Kindy rooms, seeing Mr Dixon parading as Peter Pan in green tights with a Tinkerbell doll in his belt, and swallowing that lump in my throat when lmojjen’s name was called out on Graduation night. I will be revisiting that last scenario again this year as Æowyn graduates and the door closes on being a Toonie parent. Even though the community of Toongabbie Christian College has grown greatly in number, its heart still beats with the same love of Jesus and love for one another. My prayer is that each student who comes through the gate leaves with a clearer picture of who God is, a stronger sense that they are deeply loved by Him and a bigger heart for other people.

1987 YEAR 10 MUSIC, REBECCA CENTRE

2019 COS DAY, REBECCA FAR RIGHT

2019 KNITTING CLUB, REBECCA TOP LEFT

1989 REBECCA AND ADRIAN

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JO-ANNE PEACOCK (née JENKYN) Student 1985-1994

Some of my fondest childhood memories are of my time spent in the Ministry Choir. The brainchild of the extraordinary Lynette Hester, Ministry Choir was an important outlet for me during my school years. It was a diverse gathering of TBCCS students of different ages and dispositions, all coming together in the name of music, to form this unique assortment of singers. We would rehearse weekly, at lunchtimes and after school, learning song after song, and getting our EH-NUN-SEE-AY-SHUN right. We adored and feared Mrs Hester in equal parts. She commanded our utmost and managed to draw out our full potential, both as individuals and as a choir. Mrs Hester’s no-nonsense style kept rebels like me in check and maintained a culture of excellence. In turn, this helped us to truly value what we were achieving and contributed to a strong sense of self-worth in the group. Because the choir included a range of ages, we were able to foster friendships with people in different grades. Friendships were formed with the most unlikely combinations of personalities and ages – one of the great benefits of true community. As kids, we were given a platform to showcase our gifts, practice teamwork, discover unity, appreciate music, develop discipline, and most importantly, lift up our voices to God, for His glory. We all knew it was an honour to be part of the choir, but it’s only as I’ve left childhood behind that I realise what a great opportunity it was. An opportunity to be stretched and shaped, to build resilience, to value teamwork, and to have confidence and boldness forged in us. As I reflect on those years, I remember countless and varied performances. We took the stage at Presentation Night every year, visited many local nursing homes for special concerts and performed at Seven Hills Shopping Centre, among others. We sang at Parramatta for Carols by Candlelight and featured on Good Morning Australia with Gordon Moyes. We even took our show on the road and toured parts of New Zealand, what an adventure that was! And there was so much more! These treasured memories of my time in the Ministry Choir are a source of great joy and nostalgia and I’m grateful that it’s part of my story as a coach and performer. 35 years ago, I started my education journey at Toongabbie Baptist Christian Community School. Little did I know that the friends I made in that happy Kindy room would be with me 35 years later... that we would share such joyous adventures in learning and life together. We attended pretend tea parties together in the adjoining leafy courtyard, a foundation for the real tea parties shared in our adult lives. We found adventures galore in the dusty gum forest (our playground before new learning centres were built). We poked sticks at trapdoor spider holes, ran up and down dirt mounds and collected gum leaves. We climbed the monkey bars till our hands were calloused and cartwheeled till we were dizzy on the grassy spot in front of the high school portables. We sang our hearts out with pride in the Ministry Choir. The profound biblical words from the hymns we sang are still with me today and have guided me through so many difficult times. The most lasting memories I have of primary school at Toongabbie Baptist Christian Community School was playing happily with my friends in a nurturing Christian community environment. High School was not the easiest for me. My family suffered several tragedies and family deaths throughout my high school years. The trauma was significant and some would say unbelievable. I can honestly say that I believe God had me in the very best place for that time of my life. The teachers were firm yet compassionate when I needed this most.

REBECCA LAUKKA (née SHRIGLEY) Student 1986-1998

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