Noel Clarke

 
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The North Sydney Boys experience was certainly a valuable one for me. I gained a lot from it. I came from an economically poor family but there I was able to benefit from a solid education which stood me in good stead for many years of tertiary studies and a varied life experience with several careers. Through the Brass Band and the orchestra I was able to learn to play a number of instruments. The ISCF helped me to start taking my Christian faith seriously. In the Cadet Unit I recall being the smallest in 10 platoon, and having others making bets that I would keel over at the Passing Out Parade. (Some of them did but I didn't.)

I left school and, much to the careers adviser's horror, did primary school teaching for 10 years, then moved to Teachers' College lecturing. Then I went to Indonesia for 9 years and lectured in Educational Psychology with the Church Missionary Society at Satya Wacana Christian University. I returned to Sydney, did theological studies and worked as an Anglican minister, Then in 2002 we went to Nairobi, again with CMS where I worked with churches in and around the big Kibera slums and taught in a Bible College. During the last three years I worked intensively with Sudanese church leaders so that they could return to Sudan to teach in the plethora of languages that I would never master. We have now retired to Orange. It has been a great joy to be married to Margo for over 42 years, and we've watched our three children and 3 grand children grow and develop.(With a minster, a doctor and a missionary I'm proud of them.) It's been a great life and I've been promised, that the best is yet to come.