Month: March 2021

“This is a critical time in what has been a long campaign, but we’re so close to ending this disastrous proposal once and for all.” Torquay local, Damien Cole, is the National Campaign Director for Surfrider Foundation Australia, and is also on the board of the Greater Torquay Alliance, who are currently working hard to save the Spring Creek Valley in Torquay from urban development. 

Last time we heard from Damien and Surfrider Foundation they were busy with the ‘Fight for the Bight’ campaign. Without a moment of rest, they are calling on more support for this issue, which is a little closer to home.

You may have seen the ‘Hands Off Spring Creek’ signs around the area, maybe you wrote one of the 3,161 submissions, (94% of which were in favour of no urban development in the Spring Creek Valley), or perhaps this is the first you’ve heard about it. Whatever the case, the campaign is still in full swing.

Continue reading “Hands Off Spring Creek.” →

“In Finland, every school is a good school.”

I’m speaking with Geelong Author Michael Lawrence between the sounds of pop music and helicopters flying over Waterfront bay. Michael is an avid music fan, having taught for 30 years in English and music across a wide variety of schools and year levels. His first book, Showtime, documents Cold Chisel’s performances and reformation in 1998. At the time, there were no books on the band and Michael decided he would fix this oversight. Luckily the book was perfectly timed as the band was planning a comeback and Michael was able to network with DJ Billy Pinnel and worked with the band to have up-close access to their journey.

 “If you want to do something about it, then write something,” Michael says.

This brings us to the topic of his latest book ‘Testing 3,2,1: What Australian Education Can Learn From Finland’. In Australia, 30-50% of teachers leave the profession within the first five years after graduating. Meanwhile, 90% of Finnish teachers remain in the profession for their entire career. Hoping to find the secret to Finnish success, Michael accepted an invite into their schools to bring their knowledge back to Australia. After arriving the Finnish teachers asked questions about standardised testing and ranking students Michael didn’t have answers for, prompting him to look at our education system and find the answer.

Continue reading “Michael Lawrence” →