THLHS was always great at giving students the opportunity to balance academia with other aspects. I have recently reflected on how busy I was back then, but also how happy I was because I had a balance in my life. I am trying to rediscover that balance now but it certainly is harder as an adult!

My favourite subjects were food tech, maths and business studies - because there were defined answers and they could be structured in tables, dot points and diagrams - I hated essays! Mitch’s favourite subjects were PE with Johnno and Dewsy, Ag with Burnsey and maths with Coppsy - teacher nicknames had distinct Aussie flair back then!

My favourite memory from school was Year 12, when we had our own space - the senior common room; we worked hard and played harder, and we were fearless and excited about the future. Mitch also enjoyed the senior years with his mates, who he caught up with in 2016 at his twenty year reunion.

Representing the school at sport was an enjoyable break from the classroom for Mitch. My career and life path has been meandering. The year after school I graduated from the Australian Business Academy as the “Student of the Year” - I was so focused back then, now I have trouble remembering what day it is! I went on to try several aspects of business, ending up as an administrator/software designer/software tester for a software engineering and design group. I have also owned and operated three small businesses in my life, which I’ve really loved!

In 2004 I went back to university to get my teaching degree, becoming a secondary teacher with majors in Business Studies and Economics. I received a graduate teaching position in Bowral - a school with 1300 kids; it was a real reminder of how great small schools are! Mitch also had a meandering path. He studied Sports Coaching at University of Canberra for two years before changing his focus to playing rugby and working in hospitality, progressing to the level of manager at the Wests Rugby Club.  After five years away, he realised that the place for him was back on the farm, and in the subsequent years he worked hard and went into partnership with his parents on the farm. Mitch and I married in 2009 - THLHS bonds run strong!  We started a family, and took on my breast cancer together. After this my focus shifted from full-time teaching to caring for my family and working on the family farm with Mitch and Tony and Lindy.  I have found modern farming to be challenging and rewarding, and Mitch has now become the mentor and teacher in my life.  Mitch and I now own and operate our own business, Pollock Contracting, delivering windrowing, Kelly chaining and variable rate spreading to the area.  The changing dynamics of farming keep us on our toes!

A note to all you youngsters - on the farm we use skills from school all the time: writing skills, maths skills, business skills, research skills, the list goes on! Mitch and I are both really involved in the Caragabal community, Mitch as the President of the Golf Club and myself as the chairperson of the Caragabal Promotion Group.  I think that our willingness to contribute was probably created by our parents and our time at THLHS - small towns breed proactive people with can-do attitudes!

Our advice to the young is to focus on being a good person; work hard and enjoy life and the rest will follow. Don’t sweat the small stuff, you’ll need that energy for when the big stuff gets thrown your way!  In hindsight would we change anything - not a chance - if we didn’t take those paths, we wouldn’t be where we are today!