SIMON HUGHES: DIDN'T YOU USED TO BE SOMEONE?

IN THE SPOTLIGHT...

Although I've prepared a lot of probing questions to ask Simon about his teaching career the discussion I planned soon takes a U-turn when Simon reveals that he's a man of many literary talents - an author; a playwright; an actor; a professional writer; an English teacher. 

Simon's friend who wrote television reviews for The Age newspaper was taking family leave in 1995. She suggested that Simon might put his writing talents to work. "I thought: Why not? I'd always fancied myself as another Clive James! So I wrote a daily T.V. column for the Age between 1995 and 2001 and a weekly satirical column on Saturday for a few years".  (The amateur columnist inside me feels a tad insecure...).

A CLASS ACT...

Was teaching Simon's preferred career path? "To be honest I didn't know what I wanted from university until I got the acting bug. But I was on a studentship and had to complete teacher training". In the early 1980s Simon taught on the other side of town and hated it. He wasn't ready for teaching then. His heart wasn't in it. Financially, acting can be an unreliable caper so for most of the 80s Simon worked as a Secondary Casual Relief Teacher to support his thespian pursuits. He decided to audition McKinnon Secondary College, putting the place through its hoops whilst doing a stint of casual History and English teaching. He quickly felt he had found his niche there and consequently the job evolved into full time work. He's been part of the McKinnon cast and crew for ten years. "The moment I walked through the door I knew this place was different". 

A ONE-MAN SHOW...

There's a school of thought about the relationship between a teacher and his students that suggests: "It's The Singer Not The Song". 

Simon has managed to convert his versatile repertoire to a well-structured 'song sheet': personality plus; an abundance of experiences; lots of attention-seeking devices; engaging; quirky; inspirational. A recipe for success! Effective delivery of sound curriculum leads to exceptional student outcomes. Student engagement results in a continual quest for knowledge - with students aware they are responsible for their own learning. 

A bonus has to be that Simon brings a variety of prior experience to his role. Some of the most effective teachers I have known have come to an educational career later in life. 

STAR OF STAGE AND SCREEN...

I'm not sure that Simon had a life-long ambition to act. I think he just fell into it when he was a 22 year old university student and won a role in an audition for a Chekhov play. The call to the stage was louder than the school bell. 

Simon toured nationally with the Bell Shakespeare Company** and was very much into the alternative theatre scene performing on stage at La Mama and the Pram Factory. He wrote two plays that were produced at La Mama (he didn't act in them). He was one of the original cast members of 'The Wind in the Willows', the annual summer production presented in Melbourne's Botanic Gardens. Simon was the original Badger. (I still have that nagging feeling that I've already met Simon!)

Towards the end of our meeting, the conversation turns to Simon's on-screen appearances. "In the early 90s I played an Aussie bank manager in a television advertisement for the Bendigo Bank". (That's it - I knew he looked familiar!) When I press for more detail he tells me he also had a cameo role in the T.V. soapie 'Neighbours'. His character was the Acting Principal of Erinsborough High School. Not averse to a spot of role-play, after his 'Neighbours' experience, Simon has assured Pitsa that her principal's job is safe. He's been there and done that!

ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE...

Last year Simon decided he wanted to take on more responsibility at school, to protect the precious culture the school enjoys and to ensure that culture is sustained. He was particularly interested in the Council of International Schools (CIS) Accreditation process and put his hand up for the co-ordinator's job. 

He was responsible for forming a steering committee, as well as organising and overseeing 20 sub committees. Written reports were submitted regularly after talking to parents and students along with every staff member. The CIS program is a demanding and expensive process so not many schools take part. Other neighbouring schools involved are McKinnon Primary School and Brighton Primary School. 

Schools believe that the CIS program is an appropriate vehicle to review and continually improve upon student learning outcomes and student and staff wellbeing. A review takes place every five years when they have to repeat the self-study process all over again. Simon remarks: "Pitsa says we are a very good school but we must aspire to be an excellent school".

In an age when kids travel the world enjoying universal communication without boundaries, a focus of the CIS program is to prepare students to be global citizens in the 21st Century. The unique program fosters a broader knowledge of how the world works: it encourages school communities to engage with other cultures; work in teams; empathise with other people and to understand different politics etc. Simon sums it up: "It's not what you know. It's what you do with what you know". Fingers crossed. The approval for CIS accreditation is due any day now.

RED CARPET HIGHLIGHTS:

Four words to describe yourself? "I have pondered my four words. Harder than you think. They are: determined, resourceful, opinionated and idealistic".  

Which actor should play you in a movie about your life?

"Geoff Rush would be good as me - in fact much better at me than me". 

Hobbies? 

"I have been pursuing an interest in print-making and have been persuaded, along with several other teachers, to exhibit a piece in this year's Art Show".

Guilty pleasures?

Simon worked as a reader for Allen and Unwin publishers and also behind the counter in a bookshop so it's no surprise that he's addicted to buying books, especially First Editions of modern fiction. Simon writes book reviews for the Australian Financial Review concentrating on five books per month.

Do you suffer from stage fright?  

"It's only happened to me once because I hadn't prepared properly. I was playing Oscar Wilde in a play and one of my lines cracked up the audience so much that I was distracted and forgot my lines. I sweated my entire body weight getting back on track". 

Any comparisons between the school situation and the stage?

"Yes, they're both collaborative situations, with good things happening when people work in teams. At school it's deprivatising what we do, not just one teacher in one classroom."

BRAVO-ENCORE!

Several years ago Simon received an Australia Council Writer's Grant to write a play for the South Australian Theatre Company. He was privileged to live and work in Venice for nine months at the Australia Council flat. He's adamant that young talent should be identified and promoted in Australia and more money should be spent to support them. 

CURTAIN CALL...

I thought I was meeting Simon the teacher. I didn't expect that he'd be a man of so many talents: Simon the actor; Simon the playwright; Simon the journalist; Simon the author.

It was an absolute delight chatting to him. I immediately warmed to his entertaining personality. Ego in check, without guile and downright genuine. He cares about his students and their ability to learn. 

Mr Simon Hughes. He's the real deal and this was no act.

**FOOTLIGHT FOOTNOTE...

In 2002 Simon wrote a book about his experience with Bell Shakespeare titled "Didn't You Used To Be Someone? True Confessions Of Australia's Most Famous Unknown Actor".

Lee Collie

Public Relations