Last Thursday, some of Narrabri’s past and present scripture teachers and friends gathered for a special lunch at the RSL Outback Shack to celebrate the achievements and dedication of Ros Tobin and Julie Leven.

Ros Tobin and Julie Leven have put their heart into our local schools over many years and are now entering a well-deserved retirement from teaching.

Ros has been teaching for 50 years, while Julie has been able to teach for at least 20 years at both Narrabri Public and Narrabri West Schools.

Ros and Julie were thanked and commended for their commitment of serving with the team which has been going into schools for many years on behalf of Combined Christian and Catholic churches.

They have taught students across two and three generations.

Flowers and cards were received from schools, Ministers, Fraternal members and current scripture teachers.

Margaret Baxter, coordinator of SRE, thanked Ros and Julie for their support over the years and expressed her appreciation of their part in the team.

Ros, who has a close relationship with Narrabri Public School, also received a Certificate of Congratulations for her commitment of 50 years of teaching weekly scripture classes.

Ros Tobin and Julie Leven.

Below is a letter written by Ros as she reflects on her life teaching through the scripture.

My Story as a Scripture Teacher.

“While I was at school and growing up in Sydney my family was always involved in church and Christian activities.

At Teachers College in Wagga Wagga for two years I trained to be an infants teacher, then for four years returned home and taught at a school in the next suburb.

When Bob and I married in 1969 we came to Narrabri, and both taught at Narrabri Public School.

After Geoff was born in 1971, I had a break from teaching, then went back for two terms at Narrabri West (only three terms per year in those days) till I was expecting our second child, Alison, then resigned from the Department of Education.

I started teaching scripture in the mid-1970s along with other ladies from the Anglican church while Geoff and Alison were still at babies/toddler stages.

Another lady from church, not able to teach, saw it as her ministry to mind them and a couple of other small children while I taught scripture.

So, over those nearly 50 years I taught God’s word, the bible, to three generations.

Some years I’d have four classes of around 25, so that’s a lot of Narrabri children.

Learning their names was one of the hardest tasks.

During that time, I was also on a team who wrote lessons for scripture teachers that were published for all Anglican classes in NSW schools.

For about 20 years or so I was the co-ordinator of the scripture teachers, the Ministers Fellowship and the Schools.

I thank God for the training I had received and for all the other teachers and helpers who have been part of this journey along the way and for the help and co-operation of the schools.

I also thank God for the opportunity to tell children of God’s love for them and how he sent Jesus so they could trust Him and be in God’s family.”

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