Local Rivers Secondary College Richmond Rivers High Campus teacher Sally Ford has been named teacher of the year in the national Australian Training Awards.

Sally is the head teacher in Technology and Applied Studies, teaching practical subjects like food technology, agriculture, woodwork, textiles and design.

She loves teaching agriculture and said winning the award was due to her ability to build partnerships in the community and build relationships with her students.

“I do a lot of work with kids who are struggling,” she said. 

“Kids who have a hard time being in a normal classroom can come to the agricultural centre and do practical, hands on activities.

“They are so interested in it that they want to go on to work in the agricultural industry.

“I always try to find opportunities for them to help them get jobs in the industry.”

Sally said it was “jaw dropping” when she heard the news that she won the Australian VET Teacher/Trainer of the Year award.

“My principal nominated me for a NSW training award and then I was in the finals for the Australian award.

“I was proud and surprised I won - I was up against an amazing range of talented people."

Sally with her teaching award.

Passion

Sally has always had a passion for teaching. 

She said when she was in year 7 at school, she knew she wanted to be a teacher and went on to study at Hawkesbury Agricultural College and straight into teaching.

“At school, I loved my textiles teacher,” she said. “I wasn’t great at maths, but loved textiles and my teacher encouraged us to be the best people we could be and love what it was that we did.

“It inspired me to go for what I wanted and I started working as a textiles teacher before I swapped to agriculture.

“I wanted to do the same for my students that she did for me – she was there for us when we struggled.

“When you have one person you connect with and feel supported by, it makes so much difference.”

Animal husbandry

In her work at Rivers Secondary College, Sally teaches land management and animal husbandry.

She said she has been changing what she teaches to make it more applicable to what students in the local area need.

“We have floods in our area - show do we manage this, and the drought, and help so many kids now living in fire zones?” she said.

“Through the school, we provide support for students and their families with management strategies.

“There are kids on tractors cutting fire trails and back burning protecting houses here.

“The kids learn about farm machinery at school and they take home the knowledge of how to use fire pumps and how to create an evacuation plan.

Sally and her students.

Floods

“The kids really get involved because we are a school in a flood area and when the flood comes, the kids help lift everything on site.”

When the flood does comes, Sally said all the school animals come to her house.

“In the flood two years ago, all the cattle, sheep, chickens and ducks came to my property.

“My husband and I have a few acres and he’s very supportive me – we even have evacuation tents set up and cattle pens ready.

“We teach the kids about different animals throughout the year and they learn about looking after them.

“While we are in drought, the community support we get is what makes it possible - with generous people supplying us with fodder for the animals. 

Change

Sally said the reality of our environment now, is that we need to change what we are doing.

“I’m gradually swapping the stuff we teach to focus on relevant industries here,” she said.

“I’m championing local industries - not cotton, but sugar came and macadamias.

“Some of the kids go on to work in the macadamia factories.”

Crazy sheep

Sally said the craziest thing she has done as a teacher is her work on the sheep project.

“Not a lot of people do a round trip to Dubbo to pick up sheep,” she laughed.

“Once a year, I take a group of kids to Dubbo to collect the sheep we’ll be working with,” she said.

“We camp out in the sheep shed in our swags during winter, then drive back with the sheep. 

“Then we do it again to take the sheep back.

“The kids say it’s one of the best trips they have ever done - looking after sheep 24/7.

“The skills the kids get are amazing. They have an amazing interaction with the animals.

“Some kids have been offered jobs in wool sheds because they’ve been on that trip."