Bernadette and her family live on a station in Corner Country NSW, near Milparinka. The station grazes merino sheep and cattle. Her and husband Tim have 3 daughters who are the 5th generation of Maxwells to grow up on the station. Their older 2 daughters are currently at boarding school, 900km away, in rural NSW in Year 7 and 9. Bernadette is currently teaching their youngest daughter, Year 4, through Broken Hill School of the Air.
Bernadette’s first contact with children’s education in remote Australia was with Outback Mobile Resource Unit, affectionately know as the Toy Library. Their sessions were an essential lifeline for herself and children: educationally, socially and emotionally.
Bernadette’s official Home Tutor journey began in 2016 while she was pregnant with her 3rd daughter and her oldest daughter began Pre School (year before primary school) through Broken Hill School of the Air. Her husbands old school room in what was once a train carriage was renovated with the help of her builder brother and Dad. The remnants of the radio days of her husbands schooling was replaced with a computer but still the same school song rings throughout the walls. Bernadette has taught her three daughters primary school via distance education through School of the Air in Broken Hill. The amazing supportive community of fellow teaching Mums at SOTA and ICPA community has meant the difference between sinking or swimming in the remote home classroom.
She is pretty sure that the Tibooburra- Milparinka ICPA Branch membership form was in the baby bag when she came home with first baby. She has been actively involved with the branch since her children were toddlers, remembering being the branch President and the advocacy and enormous upheaval to the community when Toy Library funding was cut and changed, with the likelihood the district was going to lose this essential service. A constant theme in the last 10 years branch President has been the many motions taken to state conferences regarding technology for Distance Education students. Bernadette is currently the branch secretary and is enjoying getting the next generation of families in the area hooked on ICPA.
Bernadette loves to cook, read, craft and follows the cricket. In the school holidays you will find her preparing, cleaning and towing the caravan to horse gymkhanas to see her family participate.
She is really looking forward to using her current and 10 years of lived experience as teaching Mum of distance education, to continue to advocate for geographically isolated families and children for whom no education would exist without access to distance education.
Bernadette is looking forward to growing her skills, working with all the other passionate people on Federal Council and continuing to contribute to make rural and remote Australia a great place to live, work, learn and grow a family.
