Toongabbie Christian College

DAVID BADGER Principal 2007-2015

I was appointed as Principal in 2007 and was invited to speak at the 2006 Secondary Presentation Evening. I remember clearly, the theme for the night was “Be strong and courageous” (Joshua 1:6). I took this as confirmation from God, that even though I had many doubts because of the task ahead, God would be with me and I can testify that this was the case over the next nine years. I had a strong sense that God was going to use my time to ‘take the land’ and ‘build the school’. Take the land: (Joshua1:6) Toongabbie is a school between three roads and a creek. The only way to take the land was to buy adjoining properties. Some owners were willing to sell while others were not. However, God has a way of using circumstances to change things. It all started when a letter arrived on my desk with a proposal to build townhouses in Octavia Street, where the ‘new’ Primary building is situated. I remember feeling a sense of immense disappointment that the school was going to be built in. We negotiated changes to the plans and accepted the inevitable. It wasn’t until God prompted, ‘why don’t you buy the land?’ that the Board was stirred to action. Events moved quickly after that. Would the developer sell? There was much prayer. It was at an extraordinary Board meeting held after the Primary Presentation Night in 2008 that the Board voted to accept the negotiated price. The land was ours! The announcement to staff on the last day of school was greeted with rapturous applause. The decision to purchase the land was made in the face of world events at the time –the global financial crisis. It was a step of faith to make such a large financial commitment when all around were advocating caution. Build the School: (Psalm 127) The funding for the buildings was the second part of the blessing. The School had purchased the land for the future. In, maybe, five years, we would build. But in January 2009, the then Labor Government announced the Building the Education Revolution (BER) funding. This was totally unexpected but brought forward all our plans for building and school growth. There was money for much-needed school improvements (like Primary and Secondary shade structures) but the real bonus was the funding for a new Primary building and the Library refurbishment. The new Primary building enabled the Primary School to expand from two classes per grade to three which meant more families could send their children to the School. The growth in the Primary eventually led to a Secondary building program with a new Secondary building, new and improved facilities and the linking of buildings. This meant Secondary had the capacity to grow from three classes per year to four as needed. There was a real sense we were building for the future, that no family would be turned away if they wanted a Christian education for their children at Toongabbie. However, a school is more than land and buildings, it is the people: the students, staff and parents that made my tenure challenging, enjoyable and worthwhile. I have fond memories of my three mission trips to Uganda, the Friday afternoon Chess competition, attending camps, the Open Days and meeting prospective families, the interviewing of new families and listening to their faith journeys, the many staff interviews, the visits to classrooms, the chats with students and the rewarding time spent in prayer ministry. One special memory was the day, in 2010, the school gave over $20,000 for the proposed Secondary building in Uganda. It was moving to watch classes bring their gifts and place them on the stage. I thank God for the opportunity He gave me to lead the School during this special time. Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness. (Psalm 115:1)

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