‘Incredibly rewarding’: Cobram teacher reflects on nearly 25 years

Mr Jones originally worked as a gold exploration geologist before retraining as a teacher.

He arrived in Cobram on Christmas Eve with his wife and their three-month-old daughter.

“We came with a two-year plan, thinking we’d eventually move somewhere else,” Mr Jones said.

“Twenty-five years later, we’re still here.”

Throughout his time at CSC, Mr Jones has taken on a range of roles.

He originally trained as a science and humanities teacher, but was asked to teach maths when he arrived at the school.

Despite initially being hesitant, it became his “absolute passion”.

He also took on year-level co-ordination, guiding students through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was emotionally taxing trying to navigate everything but as tough as it was, it was so rewarding,” Mr Jones said.

He taught VCE Business Management, the Year 10 Advanced Program and, eventually the Duke of Edinburgh program.

Running the program for 10 years, he encouraged students to develop new skills, undertake community service, participate in expeditions and outdoor activities.

“We built so many different connections, getting kids out there and building their confidence to go and engage with the community,” Mr Jones said.

For several years, nearly half of the students who completed the program went on to join CFA brigades, while others pursued community leadership opportunities ― some even standing for local council.

Across Mr Jones’s decade of running the program, about 250 students completed it, something he described as “pretty special”.

“It’s tremendously rewarding to see what your work has actually accomplished with the kids,” he said.

The internationally recognised award was run at the school from 1985 to 2023.

“The Duke of Ed was certainly a fabulous part of my time at CSC, and a lovely legacy I think I've left behind,” Mr Jones said.

At his retirement celebration, Mr Jones was presented with a long-service award by the state manager of the Duke of Edinburgh program.

The presentation was made even more meaningful by the presence of two former students who had completed the program.

“I was rendered absolutely speechless,” Mr Jones said.

“One of them said the program really unlocked her confidence and sense of self-efficacy.

“That’s been my philosophy around education, whether I’m in the classroom or out of the classroom ― it’s finding opportunities to push kids out of their comfort zone, so they can see what they can achieve.”

From 2013 to 2019, Mr Jones co-ordinated an overseas program in partnership with UK-based organisation World Challenge, taking groups of students to destinations including Vietnam, Borneo, Sri Lanka and Nepal.

Students spent about 18 months preparing for each trip, fundraising as a team before travelling overseas to undertake community projects.

The first trip took 20 students to Vietnam for a month to renovate a rundown kindergarten.

“We had the principal of the kindergarten come out on the last day, she was sobbing and through an interpreter said, ‘I don’t know what I’m going to do, since you’ve been here my enrolments have gone through the roof,’” Mr Jones said.

“That was really special.”

Mr Jones recently retired following a bowel cancer diagnosis, a decision he said was difficult to make, but necessary so he could focus on his health.

“Being forced into a medical retirement is rough, because I think there was still a lot that I had to offer,” he said.

“But you’ve got to make the best of a bad situation, you’ve got to keep putting one foot in front of the other, make the most of every day and do the stuff that fills your bucket and brings you joy.”

He is spending his retirement with family, gardening and volunteering as a district and state-level referee with Swimming Victoria.

“When you’re first diagnosed, it’s absolutely devastating, your world feels like it’s coming to an end,” Mr Jones said.

“But like the great line out of the film Shawshank Redemption, ‘you can either get on living or get on dying’.”