Toongabbie Christian College

ANDREW MIHALLEF

Considering it has been over 20 years since high school, it doesn’t take too much for me to feel old. Yet my years at Toongabbie Christian College produced some of the best memories of my life, lifelong friends, and helped solidify not just my education but my relationship with God. I came to Toonie Baps, as we called it back then, in 1995 to start high school. I came from a tiny Christian school with less than 90 students, so coming to Toongabbie, even then, felt slightly daunting. However, I soon discovered there were wonderful teachers who really cared for their students – scholastically and spiritually. One of the things that stood out to me, was how often we could seamlessly swing from the curriculum before us, to emotional and spiritual matters and back again. Highlights for me include: Mr Williams deviating from Maths to discuss Creation; Mrs Butterworth (née Walsh) incorporating God’s hand in Science classes; Mr Lawrence, whose punishments induced laughter and yet we found we didn’t do those things again. I’m pleased to be connected with many of those teachers today and am grateful for their influence in my life. Then there were the students. I probably gravitated to the other ‘visitors’ who came from different primary schools, as we were all ‘in the same boat’. That said, it wasn’t long before that was forgotten and somehow, we became one grade. Friendships formed, trust built and it was so encouraging that even in our teenage years, I found that we encouraged one another to pursue Christ together. Perhaps the greatest treasure from my time at Toongabbie is the formation of my spiritual walk. I said a sinner’s prayer in Year 6 but it meant so much more to me as I journeyed through the ups and downs of high school. In addition to Chapel, we had prayer time, some ad-hoc Bible Studies and again, teachers who really mentored us. I owe much of my Christian foundation today to Toonie. I had the privilege of being involved in activities such as choir, drama, sports, musicals and being a School Captain. But it is perhaps the beginnings of ministry that mean the most to me as I reflect. Through school I learnt musical instruments and honed my speaking skills. I began my journey in leading worship, song writing, preaching and leadership – all of which I still do today joyfully. I have no doubt those early years were pivotal for my ministry. These really were some of the best years of my life. I am so grateful for every teacher, every student, every program that impacted me at school. And I am so glad the school has only gone from strength to strength in shaping young people for life and the gospel. It is my heartfelt prayer that Toongabbie Christian College would only continue in this way as the Lord wills.

Student 1995-2000 School Captain 2000

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