Woongarra State School Principal Jeff Irwin has spent 34 years in the education system, and in that time has developed a passion for school chaplaincy.
Having seen the value of this service firsthand, Jeff was inspired to join the Bundaberg Local Chaplaincy Committee (LCC) four years ago to help raise awareness and financial support for local chaplains.
Where most LCCs support just one or two chaplains, Bundaberg has one committee to support up to 20 chaplains – a monumental task with a long list of challenges; but one which Jeff relishes in.
“Chaplains are so important. They have a special kind of relationship with students, a personal relationship, that can’t be fostered by an administration worker or teacher,” Jeff says.
“I always get excited watching how the chaplains in Bundy work together. It’s not just what they can do in their school either, but for the wider community as well.
“I’m always taken-aback by their energy to just help people. They work really hard to bring people together through the good and the bad.”
Jeff remembers when government funding was first introduced for chaplaincy in 2007, which he says has helped further increase the positive impact of this vital service.
“When chaplaincy started, a lot of Bundaberg schools jumped at the chance and employed one straight away,” Jeff says.
“The impact was astounding. All of a sudden schools had someone who was trained and ready to support students in a unique, more personal way than teachers could.
“It completely changed the culture of schools in the region.”
Jeff said it’s crucial for LCCs to help their chaplains connect with community organisations and churches, as most of the time LCCs are made up of representatives from these bodies.
“They really need community input. Input from the churches; input from the community,” Jeff says.
“It’s also important to always be looking for new ways that the community can get behind the chaplains. Thanks to an idea from one of our LCC members we started a movie night fundraiser last year which raised $7,000 in one evening just from ticket sales.
“Chaplaincy is seen as a really important initiative, not just schools and churches, it’s seen by the community as something that’s helping kids in need – something worth supporting,” he says.
“As an LCC, we do what we can to help our chaplains tap into that support, so they can in turn provide support to the kids in Bundy.”