Thursday, 13 November 2025

 John LISTER (Werribee) (10:077): We talk a lot about how our school staff are the link between the community and our education system. Every time we talk about this, I think of Sandra Pine. She was a champion for the kids, a person always driving innovation in how we supported each other. And most importantly, she was a friend all the other staff needed when times were tough. Sandy was born in County Durham in the UK in June 1958. She and her family moved to Australia for a better life as a ten-pound Pom in 1962. It was probably for this reason that she had an affinity for the thousands of students she worked with who had recently come to Australia as well. She moved to Flax Court in amongst the same housing commission homes that so many of our students come from. She lived in Werribee for most of her life. She started work as a teacher’s aide at Sunshine and in 2001 moved to Galvin Park, later known as Wyndham Central. It was here that she worked in student wellbeing, expanded into roles coordinating support for our young mob, our resi kids and senior students going into the workforce. Sandy was one that we teachers turned to when we could not understand why a kid was acting a certain way. Sandy was more than just education support. She was almost like a mother to us younger teachers, checking in on us and making sure we felt good about helping our kids. But the most important role she played was mother to Ben, Sam, Jess and Josh and grandmother to eight grandchildren. Every day, as teachers and staff walk through those school gates, please remember people like Sandy and show that same love for the kids that need it most.