For everyone The value of a good cry
Andrew Kelly is a music teacher at Swan Hill Primary School and an AEU primary sector councillor. In case that wasn’t enough, he is now also a children’s book author. Cry Hard Chucky is a picture book all about the value of having a good cry.
When asked how the book came about, Andrew says, “Well, I got into horses.” Enough said?
He explains: “I bought a racehorse, so my imagination and dreaming was caught up in that. Driving a long way to races, to and fro, gives you a lot of time to daydream.”
The book was inspired by memories of Andrew’s father, who was a farmer. “I’m from a big family. I’m one of 14 kids. For us, it was just the most normal thing in the world. There were seven boys – we all slept in a sleepout. In the winter it was cold and in the summer it was hot.”
It all feels like something from a “bygone era”, he notes. And yet, there is no sign of that cliché of the brusque, emotionally unavailable father in Andrew’s story. Quite the opposite.
“Whenever we would cry at home, for whatever reason – we’d been naughty and got in trouble or fell off a horse, or anything – he would say, ‘Cry hard, lovey, it will do you good’. He must have been mimicking someone from his past, from when he was young.”
For Andrew, who has written and produced plays with the Swan Hill Theatre Group, poetry, plays, music and storytelling are clearly a big part of his DNA. But he came to teaching in an unusual, roundabout way.
Upon completing school, Andrew began a greenkeeping apprenticeship. After that, he worked at a grain-buying company before managing a fruit-packing shed. He was working long hours – leaving the house and returning while his young family was still in bed – and had what he describes as “a bit of a meltdown”, adding: “I got overrun with depression.”
“The old man told us to make sure we got in the unions. He told us: ‘You’ve got to work together to have success together’.”
He had always wanted to become a school teacher, and was fortunate to be able to go to university in his 30s, he says – though he worked as a cleaner at Swan Hill McDonald’s throughout his training.
He has now been teaching for 16 years, now working four days a week in the classroom and doing author visits in schools on the other weekday.
The catalyst for publishing his book came when author Karen Young visited his school for a PD on dealing with children’s anxiety. He got the lowdown on her steps to publication and took it from there.
Andrew has been a member of the AEU “for as long as I’ve been a school teacher”, he says. “The old man told us to make sure we got in the unions. He told us: ‘You’ve got to work together to have success together’.”
As well as being a union member, Andrew sits on the AEU primary council, and heads to Melbourne twice a term for council meetings. He has been lucky at Swan Hill Primary School, where staff shortages are not too bad, but he is well aware of the issues affecting the sector.
“We’re very fortunate [at Swan Hill Primary] – we have a good reputation for staff wellbeing and support; it’s a supportive environment. There are other schools in the area that can’t get staff, and it’s magnifying the problems with student behaviour – it’s just snowballing. If teachers aren’t there, where can you get them?”
Andrew is happy that he turned to teaching. Remembering previous jobs, he maintains a strong sense of perspective. “It’s just the best job. I’m well paid and I’m home for tea every night. I am home on the weekends,” he says.
“Becoming a teacher is the best thing I’ve ever done. But if I’d started at 18, I would have flunked – I was too busy being irresponsible,” he laughs, candidly.
For more about Andrew Kelly’s book and author visits, visit his website: andrewkellystories.com.au.
