Elsie Lange
Riddells Creek local Kerry Trawn has been teaching Victorian primary school pupils for 40 years – last week she was recognised on the state’s honour roll for her service to public education.
Ms Trawn has taught at Kilmore Primary School for more than 20 years, with some of the children of her former pupils coming through her classes.
“[I feel] very, very proud. It makes you just stop and think, wow, I’ve influenced a lot of children in all the years that I happen to have been here,” Ms Trawn said.
At a ceremony on June 19, over 200 long-serving staff from across the state were recognised for their dedication to the public education system.
Ms Trawn said a great challenge in her career was overcoming the technical difficulties and considerations the pandemic forced on teachers.
“I did struggle at the beginning, but I was very lucky that there are many young people here at school who are very advanced with their technology skills,” Ms Trawn said.
“They were just wonderful at taking me through step-by-step to build up my confidence.
“It threw me back into the situation of being a student.”
When asked what she hoped students took away from classes with her, she said “to be a strong, responsible person, to be kind to others and to learn to give back to society”.
“My husband and my family have all been absolutely delighted and they’re very, very proud about the fact that I’ve maintained my career, and they’re very proud of the fact that I’ve influenced so many lives,” Ms Trawn said.
“But the other thing is, many of these children have influenced me.
“They’re just beautiful.”
