Seeing joy on children’s faces is what school chaplain Donna Shearing loves most about her role at Back Plains and Clifton state schools on the Darling Downs.

“My happiest moments are always when I see change for the better in a student’s life,” the eight-year chappy veteran said.

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Australia has long gone by the moniker of the ‘lucky country’, but for hundreds of outback Queensland families, luck is as absent as rain. 

Families are struggling under the enormous weight of crippling debt, financial insecurity, isolation and hopelessness. 

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At SU QLD, we know our hard-working school chaplains are amazing and we like to make a fuss of them every chance we get.  But it’s even cooler when Federal politicians do it for us!

On Australia Day, 16 chaplains in the Hon. Peter Dutton’s Federal electorate of Dickson were honoured at a breakfast and awards ceremony, where he presented each chappy with the Dickson Appreciation Award “for recognition of your outstanding service to our school communities”.

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Former diesel mechanic, Brad Hartland, had job offers rolling in after completing his degree in Business Management, but instead he felt the call to school chaplaincy at Seville Road State School.

Instead of closing deals, today Brad is breaking down cultural barriers, bringing communities together and making a positive impact in the lives of the children he serves.

Located next to the Holland Park Mosque, Seville Road State School is home to a school population that is approximately 50 per cent Muslim. As such, the prospect of a Christian chaplain at a largely Muslim school initially raised a few eyebrows.  (more…)

For more than a decade Sian Routley served as an Occupational Therapist (OT), tending to the physical needs of children who’d suffered traumatic injuries.

Today she’s tending to the social, emotional and spiritual needs of Serviceton South State School’s students as their chaplain.

“I’ve always loved working with children and loved my time as an OT, but I always had this sense that I wanted to do something more to help the children I worked with,” she says.

While the role of a school chaplain is demanding, Sian has now found her true calling, she says. (more…)

While funding rarely enables chaplaincy to be a full time job, spend some time with an SU QLD chaplain and you’ll quickly discover it certainly looks like one. Demand for their vital services is high, but time is often in short supply.

For regional chaplains like Les Penrose, who serves as an ‘on-call Chappy’ in remote Queensland schools in Charleville, Cunnamulla, and most recently Quilpie, time is indeed a precious commodity.

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Here at SU QLD, we think all of our school chaplains are the bee’s knees! Their selfless, life-changing work normally goes unrecognized.

But sometimes, a member of their school communities witnesses some of the phenomenal commitment to others that they exhibit, and nominates them for community service awards.

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Chaplain Sarah Petchell is a woman of many talents – a good listener, a supportive and caring presence, and an international level powerlifter. For those unfamiliar with the sport of Powerlifting, Sarah describes it concisely.

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School: North Lakes State College
Students: 2,847
Years of service: 1

Working in such a big school, at times attending to the sheer volume of students and their needs presents quite a challenge.

I’m available to nearly 3,000 students, 300 staff, plus parents and families.

North Lakes is a very multicultural school, and last year my number one priority was to support those families who often feel isolated and struggle to adapt to life in a different community without a family support network.

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Schools: Cameron Downs, Prairie & Hughenden State Schools
Students: 3, 5 and 150
Years of service: 2.5

Cameron Downs is extremely isolated. You need a 4WD for clearance on varied road surfaces, especially after rain, and you have to avoid brolgas, emus, kangaroos and road trains! (more…)