Sharon Isherwood Page 28

Community Profile - Current Parent Sharon Isherwood

Moving to Australia in 1997 from New Zealand, with literally $20 in my back pocket, was what one could only describe as mad, and incredibly daunting. But I was determined to ‘start again’ and so the next day I headed out to find work and started working as a waitress the very next day.

Whilst living in Melbourne, and living in a share house with another guy from the US, we were looking for another roommate and after many unsavoury applicants, we ‘interviewed’ my now husband Michael. Not long after moving in, Michael decided to join the military. His first posting was to Newcastle, NSW and that began our journey together in military life.

In 2006, we welcomed our first sons, James and Daniel and then in 2011, Nicholas became our 3rd son. During those years, we have been privileged to live in many cities around Australia due to military moves, including Canberra, Newcastle and Sydney as well as the United Kingdom and from 2011 to 2016 in Virginia, U.S. We experienced many wonderful holidays whilst in America, experiencing amazing places including Niagara Falls, New York, Nashville, Memphis, Yellowstone National Park, Florida, Phoenix, South Carolina and the Bahama’s. Moving every few years is not the most fun though and is hard on the children, as they just gain friendships and then it’s time to move on again.

After living in the U.S. for four years, it was quite the culture shock to return to Australia, for a number of reasons. We had an extraordinary time getting to know amazing neighbours and friends and to re-start our lives again was always going to be another challenging time. In 2015, to prepare for the process of moving back to Australia, we were able to take a visit to St Edmund’s College.

I think I felt just as nervous (and excited) as our boys; to enter the doors to a new journey of schooling. As soon as we were greeted by the College staff, I immediately felt part of the St Edmund’s family. I left that day knowing that we would have a wonderful school journey ahead of us and that whatever my boys had to experience during their future school life, that they would be nurtured, encouraged and supported for the rest of their school days here at St Edmund’s.

Upon our return to Australia, I also had to return to work. During those final months prior to leaving

Virginia, I was asked to put together end of year teacher gifts for my children’s teachers, so I put together ‘gift baskets’ full of goodies. The teachers loved them, the parents did too and I loved doing it. So it gave me the idea that perhaps I could do this for a living!

After the boys were settled into school I began my business, Sharwood Hampers in 2016. Our main focus is that we produce gift hampers filled with ALL local products from around the Canberra region. I knew that I needed a ‘point of difference’, so that is what we focus on. We stock products from over 50 local businesses, which is really important to support local in such challenging times. During the terrible time of COVID last year, our business became busier and busier with more people ordering online, and people wanted to send gifts to friends and family who they couldn’t visit. From being a home based business, we were able to expand to an office space in Fyshwick in August 2020, where we employ many casual employees over the super busy Christmas period (including our older boys!).

Sharon, Nicholas, James, Daniel and Michael Isherwood As anyone who has started a business knows, it’s tough with a LOT of hours put into growing your business. A lot of hours spent away from your family, trying desperately to make your dream a success. I’d like to think that tenacity and determination is part of who I am. I’ve spoken to my boys about ‘grit’ and tenacity and persistence many times as I believe that these attributes are strong characteristics to hold in life. If you keep going at something, and work hard, you will achieve things in your life!

We now have all our boys at St Edmund’s College. This year Daniel is in Year 11, James is in Year 9 and Nicholas in Year 6. They are all doing well thanks to the continuing support of their House (O’Brien rules!!), their teachers and ALL the staff at the school. Daniel is currently in the Senior School Band, the Duke of Edinburgh Award, has been in the Rock of Eddies Cabaret and has represented the school in a Japanese speech contest, debating, soccer and cricket. James actively participates in STEAM and Debating. Nicholas currently plays cricket for the school. Outside of school, all the boys have been actively involved with Scouts. Daniel was recently awarded his Australian Scout Medallion.

Outside of running a busy household including taking the boys to their extracurricular activities and my work commitments, I have now taken a huge plunge and re-joined a local Marching Team (it’s called Drill Dance now but is essentially marching for all intents and purposes). I was a marching girl in NZ (many!) years ago, and marching has been in my blood ever since.

Current Member of Staff

Alumni Profile - Class of 1996

Justin Giteau

Sport and discipline. These were the two reasons that my parents, and many others of young men in Queanbeyan in the early 90’s sent their boys to Eddies. Get some structure and dedication to your schoolwork from 9:00am-3:25pm and hone your skills in the afternoon on one of the many sporting fields made available.

In 1991 when I first walked through the front doors at Eddies a wave of fear passed through me. I clearly remember arriving at Orientation Day in full school uniform and immediately noticing most of the boys in street clothes… When I say full school uniform, I am not referring to the basics - my uniform had all the accessories, including garters to keep my socks up to my knees. This was an intimidating situation when I was doing my best to try and “fit in” on my first day at school. The chuckles and smart snickers from my new peers made for a less than perfect start. Little did I realise that 30 years later I would be back at this very institution attempting to mentor other young men to the best of my ability.

Thinking back to the early years of my schooling it was the simple act of wearing my uniform with pride, listening to my teachers and working hard that built the discipline that my parents were looking for in me. I enjoyed the structure of school and the firm but fair approach taken by all of my teachers. To this day, I still reminisce with old Eddies boys about the experience of our Year 7 camp to Tuross. Mr. Wayne Kaye was running the camp and had just witnessed my best mate tipping sugar out on the floor of the rec hall. He looked over with disgust, and asked him to pick it up. As my mate bent over to follow this request he was then swiftly lifted off the ground after being hit up the behind by Wayne’s right foot! The message, although unconventional, was clear. If you muck around, there will be a consequence. It built resilience and discipline in each of us.

Speaking of resilience, the bus rides home every afternoon, particularly in my junior years ensured we would need that in spades. We knew not to sit anywhere other than the front of the bus, to let the girls from St Clare’s get on first, and lastly and perhaps most importantly, to mind our own business. There

was a pecking order and we were at the very bottom. In Year 8, one of my peers got pulled down the back of the bus and was slapped around by some seniors due to him giving cheek to his older brother. He only did this once! Numerous other times we were forced to stand in the middle of the bus. The seniors on one side would bump into us and knock us against seniors on the other side. Imagine if you will, a human pin ball machine. This would continue for the length of the bus ride, and would leave us with bruising all over our body. No words were spoken however. We accepted it and moved on.

I was very lucky to observe such a wide variety of teaching personalities and styles throughout my schooling. Dr Ron Widmer was my Year Co-ordinator twice and demanded nothing less than respect and discipline. If you had your shirt out, your top button undone or hadn’t had a shave you were on his hit list. As the “Pie in the Bun” is seen as an Eddies custom and considered strange outside our four walls, Ron had a thousand quotes that only we would understand. A favourite of mine was “You’re a sloth Giteau, you grow on treeeeeees”. This essentially meant my uniform was far from perfect and needed to be fixed immediately. At other times Ron was also extremely empathetic as well, and if he sensed any of his students were struggling he would do his best to alleviate those anxieties and concerns.

The PE staff were an assorted bunch. Simon Brown, an Australian representative in Volleyball was quietly spoken. John Papahatzis was loud and abrupt and would leave you with cauliflowered ears if you stepped out of line. Boris Teadorovic was charismatic and would often flaunt about how fit he was. It was not uncommon during the summer months to see him without his shirt on the ovals. Each of them however, were highly respected by the students and allowed me to gain an insight into understanding what my students needed when I returned years later as a teacher.

I began this reflection by mentioning the importance of sport to many students who attended here. To be honest, to many of us it was the pinnacle of life at Eddies. We would happily train multiple times per week, and leave many sessions battered and bruised. I was lucky enough to represent ACT in Rugby on a few occasions and cherished the friendships that were formed with students from other schools in Canberra. As I grew older, I didn’t enjoy Rugby as much and had gravitated much more to Rugby League, where my passion still lies today. At the time, this wasn’t taken well with the hierarchy of the school so I continued to play both sports.

After graduating in 1996 I enrolled at University of Canberra to begin my four year degree in Teaching. Upon graduating I was awarded a 12 month contract at Wanniassa High which was later extended for a further 12 months. The environment and culture at this school was very different to what I was used to at Eddies, but I had been prepared well by my teachers. Some students would often arrive to school drunk or stoned. There were multiple fights on daily basis, and truancy was not met with consequences. However, as I would later discover, regardless of which