Roma teacher Wendy Merrick retires after 47 years

A teacher who spent close to half a century educating generations of students in South West Queensland shares why she still loved the job after 47 years, and how she realised it was her calling.

Wendy Merrick at Victoria River Downs in 1978 or 1979. Supplied: Wendy Merrick.

In 1977, as a 19-year-old teaching graduate from Gunnedah, Wendy Merrick was assigned to teach children on a station in the Northern Territory.

More than 3500km from home, before the era of instant communication, and assigned as the sole teacher for 25 children, the experience would have broken many people.

However, Mrs Merrick thrived and went on to dedicate the next 47 years of her life to teaching.

Most of that time, she spent teaching the junior students of Roma State College.

After close to half a century of teaching the next generation, Mrs Merrick has retired.

Mrs Merrick taught at Roma Junior for 39 years. Photo: Wendy Merrick.

Mrs Merrick’s career took off when, just after graduating from the Armidale Teachers College, she was tasked as the teacher at Victoria River Downs.

“It was a ‘dropped in the deep end’ type experience for me,” she said.

She stayed at the station for two years, teaching 25 students, and residing in a glorified caravan.

Maureen, Veronica and Peggy in front of Mrs Merrick's teacher accommodation van at Victoria River Downs. Photo: Wendy Merrick.

She described the experience as “formative,” and still remembers the names of the students she taught, reciting them fondly.

“Kevin was the artist … Rita the rebel,” she laughed.

She said despite feeling lonely at times, the experience made her realise teaching was her “calling”.

Kevin, Sharon, Maureen, Lucy, Godooga, Veronica, and Roy at Victoria River Downs. Photo: Wendy Merrick.

After two years, she moved to Darwin, where she taught for six years.

During that time, she and her husband travelled between Darwin and her hometown of Gunnedah in central NSW multiple times.

On one of the pilgrimages, they stopped in Roma and decided to buy a property.

“We’d just sold a block of land in Darwin, so we could buy a whole house in Roma,” she remembered.

Kevin and the boys on the banks of the Victoria River. Photo: Wendy Merrick.

Eventually, they decided to stay in Roma, and so began Mrs Merrick’s 39-year tenure at Roma’s junior school.

Mrs Merrick fondly remembered her “golden years,” in Roma, when Glynn Williams and Di Cavanough were principal and deputy principal respectively, and a time when the motto of the junior school was “school is fun”.

Mrs Merrick teaches line dancing at the Roma Junior fete in 1994. Photo: Wendy Merrick.

“I’m very grateful to have chosen this particular path,” she said.

“I always loved what I do - always.

“It’s both a joy and a privilege, to teach and touch a child’s life in a positive way.”

However, after close to half a century teaching other people's children, Mrs Merrick said she was looking forward to spending more time with her grandchildren.

Mrs Merrick said she was looking forward to having more time for her five grandchildren. Photo: Wendy Merrick.