Our Why

At JLF the ‘why’ was never solely about money – it was about doing some good. Helping people to improve their lives is proudly at the core of our ‘why’ and where better to start than our future generations.

As Ron recounts ‘this young bloke called and said he had a fair bit of money and wanted to help street kids. I thought he’s either crazy or he’s a very wise, but I don’t which’.

That phone call was followed by a pivotal meeting on the Gold Coast which sent the trio on their more than 30-year ‘spiritual journey’ together.

When Sydney clinical psychologists Ron and Suwanti Farmer received a late-night phone call from a young John Fitzgerald back in 1987 they didn’t realise how life changing it would be – not only for them, but for more than 1500 teenage boys in the decades to come. “John said to me, ‘I would like you to be my navigator and make this dream a reality’,” Suwanti said.

And with that, the dream became something of which all three are still incredibly

Since 1991 the school has helped thousands of boys aged from 8 to 15 who are struggling in variety of ways and have been ostracised from the mainstream school system.

Some boys have depression, or have been bullied, are autistic, have ADHD or anger issues and social anxiety.

The school’s educational model has been designed to revolve around the five universal human values of truth, love, peace, right conduct, and non-violence.

For Ron those key values are like having a blueprint for living. “What we provide for students and teachers we want to live by,” he said.

The school’s name was chosen because of its Aboriginal meaning ‘place in the heart’. At that first meeting John told Suwanti: “God has given me this gift of being able to make money, lots of money, but it is not really my money – I believe I have a responsibility to help those in the community who are struggling”.

And he’s remained a very much a hands-on part of the Toogoolawa School since it was founded, visiting every Monday to meet with the staff and students.

“They all love John. He’s still a boy at heart, but he’s a real hero to them,” Ron said.

That affectionate bond is also strong between John, Ron and Suwanti, with the couple counting John among their dearest friends.

“I always see something in him like the personality of a warrior. He’s a spiritual warrior with a shield and heart of compassion for humanity,” Suwanti said. “He’s very selfdisciplined, a fearless man, who loves to learn – his sees his children as his gurus who teach him to be a better person.”

Despite the obstacles he’s encountered in life, the couple say the JLF founder is still brimming with positivity. John will turn every catastrophic event into something that is an opportunity, they say. “He’s been this constant reminder to be more loving, considerate and respectful, and I think those are traits we can all live by,” Ron added.

All three may be a little older than when they started the Toogoolawa School journey 30 years ago, but none of them are showing any signs of slowing down. In fact, John has plans in place for another 30 schools right across Australia.

GERRY MOLONEY

TOOGOOLAWA SCHOOL PRINCIPAL

Returning to work at a ‘mainstream’ school will never be an option for Toogoolawa School principal, Gerry Moloney.

Mr Moloney has been principal at the school since 2006, guiding the way for young boys who have been kicked out of mainstream education.

That many of those boys, who without Toogoolawa may have ended up unemployed, homeless or in jail, have gone on to lead successful lives is what drives Mr Moloney to continue the work which started when John teamed up with psychologists Ron and Suwanti to open the school.

“I was a deputy principal at another school when I first heard about Toogoolawa,” Mr Moloney said. “I actually used to refer children there from the school I was at. I liked what they did and they were having some success.

“Some of the teachers in mainstream schools are pretty quick to give up on challenging kids. It can be difficult when you have 25 or 30 kids in a class and one or two of them take up 90 per cent of your time.”

After clocking up 30 years in teaching it was while Mr Moloney was on leave considering what he’d like to do next that the opportunity to join Toogoolawa at Ormeau came up.

“I just wanted to do something different,” he said. “I thought there must be something more to teaching.”

Fortuitously, while on his break Mr Moloney saw a job at the school advertised in the local paper for a position at Toogoolawa and he applied.

“Back then it was just an old Queenslander which had been done up to be used as a schoolhouse, it was similar to the sort of home I grew up in,” he said. “When I first started, I think there were three kids there, although it was set up to accommodate 12, the numbers ebbed and flowed. Now we have about 120 boys.” The Toogoolawa model is unique has been designed to revolve around the five universal Human Values of Truth, Love, Peace, Right Conduct and Nonviolence.

About a third of the boys who have spent time at Toogoolawa integrate back into mainstream schooling while others do traineeships or TAFE courses. About 85 per cent of them go to work or further study.

The school facilities have also grown substantially, financially assisted as always John, and with a State Government grant.

“The old Queenslander building has been refurbished and we now have other buildings for classrooms,” Mr Moloney said.

While the facilities and number of boys have changed in recent years, one thing that hasn’t is the philosophy. Mr Moloney said this is is why he can’t imagine working anywhere else.

“Our philosophy is Educare, which means you take care of the heart before you take care of the head, it’s all about character building,” he said.

The changes he has seen in boys coming to Toogoolawa constantly lifts his spirits. The school now has 43 staff and runs six different classes, each with a registered teacher and two or three youth workers.

While they can’t expand the Ormeau campus anymore Mr Moloney said there are plans to open similar schools in South East Queensland next year.