Les plants the seeds for his future with study
3 May 2002
Les Norris.
Returning to study as a mature-age student is never easy, but for some students it is harder than others. 46 year-old Les Norris of Glenroy is one such student.
He was recently named best student in Kangan Batman TAFE's Koori Programs Unit, winning the Elders' Award for Outstanding Indigenous Student of the Year.
But to reach this recognition, he has overcome many obstacles, including health, personal, and financial problems.
Before coming to Kangan Batman TAFE, Les had been living in Gippsland for 15 years. There he had a variety of jobs such as at the local timber mills, however, eventually the lack of work in the region forced he and his family to move to Melbourne.
The move provided Les with the opportunity to try something different. He had always enjoyed working outdoors and was interested in gardening and nature, so decided to enrol to study horticulture at Kangan Batman TAFE through the institute's Koori Programs Unit.
Based at the Broadmeadows campus, the Koori Programs Unit provides a range of support services for indigenous students who are completing mainstream courses at Kangan Batman TAFE. It also offers programs specifically designed to suit indigenous students' needs, in literacy and numeracy, Koori art, and various trades such as the horticulture course which Les has been studying.
During his three years at Kangan Batman TAFE, Les has amazed the teaching staff of the Koori Programs Unit with his determination to succeed in his training. His return to study is all the more remarkable considering he has not studied since leaving high school in Form 1.
Aside from the usual challenge of keeping motivated to learn, Les overcame even greater challenges during his studies. At the beginning of 2001, he experienced heart problems, but was back at TAFE within weeks. 2001 continued to be eventful, as several of Les' family members passed away, and it was also the year he overcame a long-term alcohol problem with help from the staff and students of the Koori Programs Unit. Despite these personal issues, Les continued to attend classes and achieve good results academically.
Les was selected to receive the Elders' Award for Outstanding Indigenous Student of the Year because his teachers believe he is an excellent role model within the Koori Programs Unit.
"Les applied himself to succeed in a positive, dignified and upright manner, gaining the respect of all people he came into contact with during the course. His perseverance rubbed off on his fellow students", explains Koori Programs teacher Brett Kelly.
Les is also considered a role model for indigenous students because of his contribution to his community. Although he and his wife Rita have five children ranging from 15-22 years (two of whom live with them), they also foster six children from the one family who would otherwise have been separated.
Now that he has finished the Certificate III in Horticulture (Nursery), Les is currently completing a three-month parks and gardens course after which he hopes to find work as a park ranger.
"Even though I've had some setbacks, I really enjoyed studying with the Koori Programs Unit. The staff were a great support, and I met a lot of people there who gave me friendship and encouragement", he says.
Kangan Batman TAFE has 24,000 students across its six campuses in Broadmeadows, Moreland, Richmond, Coburg, Avondale Heights and Essendon.
Each year in May, Kangan Batman TAFE conducts two graduation ceremonies at the Moonee Valley Racecourse to accommodate all of its graduates and award-winning students.
The first ceremony, at which Les received his award, was held on Friday 3 May. The Hume City Council was major sponsor of the ceremony, while Broadmeadows Town Centre was supporting sponsor.
