Raising eight children on her own and dealing with a two-hour return commute was never going to stop Diane Brimble from achieving her goal of becoming a teacher.
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The youngest of her eight kids was just a toddler when the Hamilton woman began her four-year Bachelor of Education (primary) degree in Warrnambool.
If there weren’t enough barriers to gaining a tertiary education in the country, add the extra parental responsibility of being a foster carer.
“I help out with foster kids when I’m needed,” she told The Standard.
“I’ve had children for a few nights and up to nine months.”
Ms Brimble yesterday officially marked her graduation from Deakin University when the campus held three ceremonies honouring nearly 200 students.
It was the culmination of a long journey to realise her dream, which had begun much earlier when she completed her VCE over two years via correspondence.
“I actually sat exams in Hamilton at the same time as my two eldest children, which was interesting. We tried not to compete,” she laughed.
Even a supermum needs her unsung heroes to be able to tackle such a workload.
Ms Brimble said she had a lot of support from friends and her university lecturers to help her complete her studies.
“I travelled from Hamilton to Warrnambool up to four times a week depending on my schedule.
‘‘It was a bit tiring but it was all worth it.
“I was fortunate to have a travel buddy in Trish Cordner, who also graduates today,” she said yesterday.
“I guess I always wanted to be a teacher and finally set out to achieve that.”
Not content with taking her foot off the pedal and celebrating her success, Ms Brimble is working part-time as a teacher-librarian at The Hamilton and Alexandra College and is studying for her Masters in Education.
“Doing this gave me the confidence that I can achieve what I set out to achieve, so I haven’t stopped studying.”
Ms Brimble said her children, aged six to 24, were proud of her efforts.
“They have been very supportive and so have my friends.
“I wouldn’t have been able to do it without their help.”
sfowles@standard.fairfax.com.au
