Thursday, 16 October 2025

 Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Regional Development) (09:53): I have learned this week of an outstanding achievement and contribution to the Victorian education system from a former teacher of mine, who at nearly 71 years of age is still teaching. However, Erica Lowing is hanging up her duster and chalk after a 47-year career with the education department. This Friday 17 October will be her last official day teaching. She has given many decades of exceptional and dedicated service to the state and will be a loss to the profession, particularly in Mansfield. Her teaching career began teaching English as a second language to Vietnamese refugees and migrants in the 1970s at Noble Park Language Centre and Westall High School. She completed 27 years at Benalla college and taught programs at Benalla East Primary, where she taught me Indonesian from years 7 to 11. I was not too bad at Indonesian back then, indeed because of her. She was also brave enough to take a group of 16-year-olds to Indonesia on a study trip, and she returned us unscathed – just, probably.

I next came across Mrs Lowing at Mansfield Secondary College because I was there to announce some funding for the school and she was there, and obviously I recognised her and she recognised me. She went from Benalla College to Mansfield College. In 2023 she was awarded the Australia-Indonesia Institute All Indonesian Language Teaching Award for services to Indonesian language. Her passion for language and seeing children thrive and learn has always driven her. She has decided to pursue her other numerous interests – (Time expired)