1970s
1970s: Establishing Legacy
Like a true pioneer, with determination, grit, and perseverance, Mrs Willemien Duyker-de-Vries, pursued her dream of creating a better environment for children to develop in.
In 1973, the authorities advised the school to establish a council so they could support the School with some funding.
So, in the same year, with the help of two school parents, who were lawyers, David Newby and Rod Hyman, they established the “Australian Montessori Society,” which was established as a non for profit organisation.
The School had successfully been in operation for 12 years when the council undertook to be a supporting body.
The continuing success and development of the School led to the establishment and opening of a secondary section in 1972.
Because staffing was a concern, Mrs Duyker-de-Vries established a Montessori training course, which was attended by staff, future staff, and interested parents and it continued for many years. She dedicated her Wednesday evenings and, for a few years, every Tuesday morning to her training course. She also ran courses in Rockingham and, once a month, she flew to Sydney on the Friday night redeye to deliver courses over the weekend.
These courses spawned other courses and some of her students went on to deliver her courses across Australia, some of which are still being run today.
The course attracted people who had no desire to teach, but who wanted to understand the child more fully. It offered the opportunity for people to learn something new about themselves and how to manage their lives while learning how to help the child develop confidence.