Former Kangan Batman TAFE teacher receives an Order of Australia Medal
21 June 2007
A former Kangan Batman TAFE Language Studies teacher was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) from the Queen's Birthday Honours list, for his outstanding achievements in community service work.
Eddy Abraham was recognised for his work in migrant assistance, multicultural programs and activities supporting senior citizens. These include teaching English and French to adult migrants and senior citizens and hosting a radio segment on 3ZZZ for the Mauritian community.
When asked how he felt about the award, Eddy replied, 'I am pleasantly surprised but also humbly honoured.'
'I think that I contributed a bit to the mainstream and Mauritian community and in the end it was a good award,' he said.
Eddy also believes that teaching English as a Second Language courses at Kangan Batman TAFE helped him contribute to the community. He said it allowed him to broaden his skills and gain more experience teaching adults and students.
'When you look back it was a lot of work but I was very enthusiastic,' said Eddy. 'I think my professional and community activities combined have enabled me to achieve what I have.'
However, Eddy also feels that it is the enthusiastic response from his students that keeps him going.
'They are so committed, they are so keen and they are very responsive,' he said.
Eddy's describes his work as his way of giving back to the Australian community. Being a migrant himself, Eddy arrived to Australia in 1971 from Mauritius. He began teaching English to adult migrants at the Lalor Living and Learning Centre. Eddy also taught French at universities, and did pastoral work for the Mauritian community.
Eddy plans to continue his community work in the future, and has no intention of slowing down any time soon.
'Right now, I don't feel that I need to stop, I want to keep going and it keeps me active. It's very fulfilling,' he said.
