Hayden Anderson never expected to find his perfect career fit at Mooroopna North Primary School, one of hundreds of small rural schools in Victoria.
In fact, Mr Anderson had never heard of Mooroopna or visited the place before his La Trobe University work experience placement in 2021. Despite being born and bred in Bendigo, Mr Anderson had never even been to Shepparton.
“During my uni studies I had to track down the only PC I could afford at Shepparton’s JB Hi-Fi, so that was my introduction to the city,” Mr Anderson said. “But I had never been to Mooroopna let alone this little school I’ve come to love.”
Now just 23, Mr Anderson’s post-secondary studies have been intense. He holds a Bachelor of Applied Science and a Masters of Speech Pathology. He could work in a lucrative private practice or virtually any medical facility, particularly with the demand for health professionals in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He certainly could have left Mooroopna North Primary School long ago. His university work placement in early 2021 was to last just a little over two months.
Instead, Mr Anderson chose to volunteer a day a week to stretch that placement to two years. In April, he finally wrapped up his association with the school and his work with students who need extra help with their speech, language and literacy skills.
“The work really clicked with my degree,” he said.
“I owe this school — it’s here that the jigsaw piece that says ‘this is what I want to do in my life’ fell into place.
“I have been incredibly well supported by staff and mentored by the school’s main speech pathologist, Surabhi Budhiraja, to do good work here.
“I feel really rewarded in working with students on the skills they will need through school and beyond — functional literacy is the first step in getting a job and achieving so many things in life.
“Things can be pretty scary if you don’t have those skills, so working with children from a young age ticks all the boxes for me.”
Mr Anderson is now employed in Student Support Services with the Department of Education in Bendigo, where he applies his skills in seven schools.
But every Friday for the past two years, Mr Anderson has headed up the highway to work as a volunteer at Mooroopna North.
“I remember driving in 2021 during my second last week of placement and thinking, ‘I don’t want to go, I don’t want to say goodbye yet — maybe I can stay on as a volunteer’,” he said.
“I wondered if I was being unprofessional by becoming attached to the school, but everyone was so supportive.
“On the other side, I think it’s okay to become attached and feel you are doing really good work.”
Certainly principal Michelle Duke and her staff were grateful to keep Mr Anderson for as long as they have.
“It’s so amazing that he has volunteered his time to us for two years,” Ms Duke said.
“We’re all going to miss him.”
Ms Duke said speech therapy work would go on at her school and others in Greater Shepparton thanks to specialist department support staff.
“Private therapy support can be very expensive and there can be a long wait for services through the National Disability Insurance Scheme, so we’re lucky as government schools to be able to access services like these for our students,” she said.