Australia’s Best Teachers: Corrimal High School’s Craig Mulder loves passing on woodwork skills
A fire destroyed where teacher Craig Mulder works at Corrimal High School. But after it was rebuilt, he tells of how he has helped change his students’ lives.
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When a fire ripped through Corrimal High School’s Industrial Arts workshops, destroying valuable equipment and student projects, it could have spelled despair for the design and technology department in the heart of Wollongong’s low socio-economic area.
Instead, Craig Mulder, head teacher of TAS (technology and Applied Studies) said amid the ashes of the 2018 fire a resilient spirit emerged.
“It was devastating to wake up and hear the news that the building was gone. We lost everything in the fire … it was the hub of the school, but we needed to keep the students’ education going,” Mr Mulder said.
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Students were sent out to local primary schools in makeshift classes as urgent funding was sourced and hundreds of meetings took place to determine what the next course of action would be.
Fast forward to today, Corrimal High School’s brand-spanking new Industrial Arts centre stands tall, boasting two trade training centres (in metal and construction) in a state-of-the-art facility that is the envy of schools across the state.
The local community even chipped in to buy a new coffee machine to replace the one which went up in smoke, as the former Industrial Arts building had served as a kind of chill-out space for teachers and students.
Under the leadership of Principal Paul Roger, who lobbied incredibly hard for the new centre at Corrimal High School, (which was once nicknamed Criminal High), has now turned its fortunes around. Incredibly, enrolments are up 76 per cent since 2018 as locals have made it their high school of choice and it is one of the fastest growing schools in the Illawarra region. Mr Roger has been recognised for creating meaningful change in the school by receiving a Harvard Scholarship from the Public Education Foundation.
“Paul was not very long at the school when the fire happened. He just swung into action … he’s a mover and shaker and he just wants to make a difference. He is a great advocate for our school and his leadership has really changed our school,” said Mr Mulder.
“It’s a great school. I take pleasure in telling the parents of prospective students that my boys both attended the school and are very successful young men.”
Mr Mulder likes to think the new Industrial Arts department also had something to do with the school’s positive turnaround.
It is part of the reason he has been recognised as part of the Australia’s Best Teacher campaign.
The Daily Telegraph has joined forces with corporate partners Officeworks, Teachers Mutual Bank, and Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools to launch Australia’s Best Teachers campaign on Sunday, to celebrate the nation’s best educators. It is part of a concerted push to drive greater respect and recognition for teachers.
Having worked as a carpenter for 15 years before heading back to school to retrain as a teacher, Mr Mulder said he “enjoys passing on to students his knowledge”.
“When I was at school, one of my favourite subjects was woodwork. I got offered an apprenticeship at the start of Year 11, so I left and did that. The I got my builder’s licence and did that for a while, but I got to my mid-30s and I thought I needed a career change. I thought, well, I am still passionate about woodwork and it’s never too late to start something new. So I went into teaching.”
Mr Mulder’s team in the TAS department are all former tradespeople who bring real-world experiences into the classroom, preparing students for the challenges ahead.
“I’m so lucky with my staff. They’re all ex-tradespeople in industrial arts, and they can prepare the students for all those life experiences and help them understand what will be required of them in the real world.”
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