Lynette Kim Sing

Bwgcolman Community School, Palm Island

The extraordinary dedication of Lynette Kim Sing to students, who achieve outstanding outcomes under her teaching and leadership, has seen colleagues from two schools, and an island community, nominate her for an Outstanding Contribution to Teaching Award.

Lynette Kim Sing has helped Bwgcolman Community School students attain jobs that weren’t available on Palm Island. She has helped boost senior student attendance rates and the number of Year 12 pupils attaining a Queensland Certificate of Education.

Bwgcolman Community School colleague Tamara Cassady says she has never met another person like the HPE, Mathematics, Vocational Education and Training, and Sports and Recreation teacher, who “lives to teach”.

Tamara says Lynette’s passion and commitment to develop a ‘love of learning’ in children and young people, and to seeing them succeed, is behind some of the incredible student outcomes.

“There was no employment on Palm Island, so Lynette built working relationships with other contacts at Mount Isa to send boys to Mount Isa to undergo employment training programs. Those past students are still currently employed and doing well,” Tamara says.

“She created a Learner Licence Program, Work Experience Placement Program, Student Leaders Council and coached all students in Rugby League as part of her PBL (Positive Behaviours for Learning) program.”

Lynette also provides food for students in her class who sometimes don’t have anything to eat at school.

Last year Lynette was seconded to work as an Acting Principal on Tagai State College’s Mabuiag Island Campus, and the island’s community did not want her to leave.

Mabuiag Island teacher Beryl Reuben says Lynette “was amazing with her ability to empower all staff and develop within all students the desire to want to come to school, every day”.

Under Lynette the students grew in self-confidence; student leaders ran all school parades. She also trained and coached all students in sports, with one competing at the State Hockey Championships in Brisbane.

“Every fortnight, she would operate the improvement celebrations at the Town Hall on Saturdays, so that all community members could share and acknowledge the improvement of all students, followed by a movie night,” Beryl says.
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“The community members of Mabuiag Island did not want Lynette to end her secondment journey,” Beryl says.

“Lynette is so highly respected as an educator in the Mabuiag Island community, they are all supporting me with this nomination.”

At her farewell parade, Torres Strait Island Regional Council Deputy Mayor Keith Fell said Lynette was welcome back any time and that “every door of every house will always be open to her”.

More than 30 years after she started teaching at Townview State School in Mount Isa, some of Lynette’s original students are still mentored by her.

 She has made an incredible difference in the lives of some of our state’s most disadvantaged students over her 32-year career.

 Congratulations Lynette on being a finalist.