Br Michael Jones

My present work is at the Berne Education Centre, at Lewisham. This is a non mainstream school that is under the auspices of our own Order, and named after John Berne, who was a recalicitrant boy at the time of Champagnat, who the young Brothers did not want to give any attention to. The Founder said be patient, and he paid him the ultimate compliment and became a Marist Brother himself, though only living for a short time. This is my third year here, with kids who have learning disabilities and behavioural problems.........and to cope with this we have a very high ratio of teachers and counsellors to kids.

Living these days is different from the time when we all entered. I am living in a community of 10, which is large by todays standard. Type of apostolate and men I engage within daily living have occupations such as chaplain to uni, parish worker, school principal, retirement, procure, agent for despatching "Living Faith" publications. My work has always been secondary teaching throughout.

I worked in PNG/Solomon Islands over a 10 year period, in five locations-including rural training centre; government, national secondary andcommunity schools.........all very varied and some of these places were both remote and isolated. The cirriculums in these places were interesting and challenging.


Interest in sport, both personal and at at the school level has taken in athletics,, cross country, swimming, life saving and cadets especially in the two stints I had in Canberra. A number of years there I helped with Duke of Edinburgh scheme and the Outward Bound both particularly strong in that school.
Leisure for me is manual work, growing vegies, crosswords, stamp collecting, non-fiction reading, bush walking, cycling, touring as well as running and surfing and looking up previous acquaintances in holidays, that I have know from various schools.

Interests and Events

1) In Grafton, doing the swim across and back of the Clarence River 200 times over a two year period.
2) Performing a citizens arrest outside a haberdashery store in Church St Parramatta, when two thieves were making off with the payroll from the store. Money was reclaimed, though no charges were made.
3) My first stint at Vanga Point, assisting with the birth of the housekeepers son in her house. Some years later the Genesians acted this out to absolutely rolls of laughter from the monks.
4) Having a security pass, during the Bougainville crisis, in 1989, when I was at Kieta, allowing me to go from Kieta to Arawa, to assist with tutoring of matriculation Maths, in Arawa, when I was a part time tutor with the University of PNG.

Generally my health has been robust and I am looking forward to 40 years of being a Marist in 2007.

Appointments

'72-73 Lismore
'74-75 Grafton
'76-77 St Vincent's, Westmead- teaching at Parramatta Marist
'78 Cairns
'79-82 St Dominic's Rural Training Centre, Vanga Point, Solomon Islands
'83-84 Maitland- in the last community there.
'85-86 Rosalie
'87-88 Buin, PNG
'89 Kieta PNG
'90 Second Novitiate Nemi outside Rome and East Asian Pastoral Institute
'91 Westmead & Auburn
'92-97 Canberra
'98-99 Tenaru Solomon Islands
'00 Marau, South Guadalcanal & Kogarah
'01-03 Canberra
'04-06 Parramatta/Westmead- teaching at Berne Education Centre, Lewisham