Indelible Adventures: Perseverance with a capital P

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I had gone to University without a plan, well, I guess that’s not entirely true because getting to University “was the plan”, but now had no idea about what I wanted to do or be when I grew up.

In those days the Australian federal government ran the tertiary education program across the breadth of Australia. They kept it simple in that you were only able to apply to three schools and programs across Australia. Clearly your grades dictated which school and program you got an offer from but you only got a single offer. The kicker was that if you refused to accept the offer, you had to sit out a year and reapply with the next graduating class, so there were no guarantees as to getting the program you wanted under that scenario either.

Coming out of Maryborough Tech my grades were better than I expected but then again I was coming out of Maryborough Tech which wasn't known for its academic prowess if you know what I mean (yes, enough said!).

Dad had always wanted me to be a carpenter and the more he pushed me to get an apprenticeship the more I resisted, and mum even went so far as to get me a job interview at the end of year 9 at the local bank for which I had no interest. So in year 10 I chose something other than the standard trades – carpentry, sheet metal, electrical, plumbing, fitting and machining etc.

Much to mum and dad’s chagrin I chose business studies (this included learning to touch type on a old Remington Rand typewriter), which is arguably the only valuable skill I took from six years at Tech school. J Unfortunately my decision was the straw that broke the camel's back in dad’s mind and he and I didn't talk for almost six months after I started year 10, however it was obvious that they both felt I was wasting my time staying at school.

I was desperate to get out of my environment and realized that school was likely my only option, but with little to no support it was always going to be hard. I think that fact that I wanted more from life was likely quite threatening to my parents but at the time none of us had the capacity nor relationship to talk about it in a constructive way so I just kept my head down and did what I could to keep the peace at home while working hard to get passing grades at school. Staying under the radar was a necessity!

At school I didn't have the greatest reputation either, in fact I was typecast as a bit of a shit disturber…although I fail to understand why because I was often sent to the office before I actually got into the classroom. That being said I've never suffered fools easily and have little patience for boorish situations.

In retrospect I would say that my entire secondary education was an uphill climb, both at home and school, yet somehow I stayed focused enough to get through it all. As I neared the mid point in year 12 we had to decide if we wanted to pursue tertiary studies, and for me it was always going to be an emphatic “Yes!”

Wanting to go to University and actually getting there are two completely different things, and I must admit I was lost as to how to apply so I approached the school’s career counselor who was also one of the trades teachers. Honestly, at first I think he was shocked to find that I was still at school, clearly the business studies group was small and of little consequence in the larger school environment so after getting over his initial shock he was even more surprised to find that I was considering applying for University.

I explained that I wanted to study business, to which he replied, “Wallis you'll never have the marks to get into business studies.” Conversation over...told you I was popular!

I realized that he was just another roadblock. So, like most things in life to this point I figured it out by myself and applied to the three schools and programs, but with his words still ringing in my ears. What if I didn't have the marks to make the business studies program that I wanted? I poured over the application form and so to be safe I hedged my bets and made it my second choice.

The irony was that I did get the marks that I needed, in fact my marks were even better than I could ever have imagined and so got my first choice. How great is that? Well, it was amazing right up until I realized that I had the marks to get into business studies, but now my chance was gone for this year. I approached the business studies faculty and asked if I could transfer in, but they reiterated the guidelines which were quite clear. However, they said they would consider me transferring in the following year, if I did well in my current program but under the proviso that I wouldn't get any credit for my time spent in my first year program and would have to start over in first year.

So with that squared away I began my first year in the education program. Not surprisingly by the end of first year I had made great friends and decided not to switch out after all.

Going to University was my escape - it provided me with a springboard to create a life that I had always envisioned. However, the most important lesson that I take away from these formative years is my dogged determination and tenacious spirit to not let anything get in my way and to always preserve no matter what.

If there is one thing that I want Zach and Sami to know is that a combination of hard work and self belief can take you anywhere you want to go in life…it certainly worked for me. J

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This weeks photos are from my wonderful Father's Day afternoon with Zach as we explored the AGO and Queen Street West in Toronto's inner city. Enjoy!