I first visited the Perth Waldorf school in 2007 when I was invited to give a physics main lesson to Class 8. I’d been teaching and coordinating the development of the Little Yarra High School in Victoria and now that that school had successfully established a full high school, I was taking a year out and visiting other Waldorf schools around the country.

Mary Kirkwood was the teacher of Class 8 and she and I hit it off immediately and I remember what fun it was to spend three weeks with her class, her sitting in on the lessons and sharing in all the experiments, both successful and unsuccessful, with her humour and her enthusiasm.

One thing led to another, and it transpired that Mary wanted her class to continue on to Class 9 and to be the pioneer class for the new Perth Waldorf High School. There had previously been a High School, right up to Class 12, but for various reasons this had not worked.

So, long story short, I was offered the job of High School Coordinator with the task of building up the High School to a successful Class 12 and making sure it survived. From the beginning it was resolved that graduation from the High School would involve members of Class 12 undertaking a project rather than sitting an exam. This was the route pioneered by Peter Glasby at the Mount Barker Waldorf school years earlier and taken up successfully by an increasing number of Waldorf High Schools all over Australia, including the Little Yarra Steiner school where I had recently been active.

Mary and I continued to work together as a great team. I have the fondest possible memories of this person whose life was tragically cut short by cancer not long after I left in 2014 and returned to England. Mary had arrived at the Perth Waldorf School from South Africa a few years before my arrival, and she was better acquainted with the feelings and the fall-out from the previous failed High School attempt. She knew her way around the school and the people and was able to mitigate some of the early bungling attempts which I made in trying to establish a basis for the project in the minds of members of the College of Teachers. At one point I remember a meeting when I was being pressured to produce a detailed written proposal for the High School project. I remember asking my colleagues whether they wanted a High School or a pile of paper. This did not go down well with everyone! That being said, Mary and I could see clearly that it was quite possible and, further, that the children in Class 8 and those coming up through the Lower school both needed to continue their Waldorf education and would in addition, in their own unique and mysterious way, make it possible to succeed. We were both determined and convinced!

One thing led to another, and I didn’t remain for long in the official position of coordinator and it was in some respects a relief to leave the politics behind and get on with the teaching. I was very happy teaching and developing the High School chemistry and maths curricula and Mary the same with biology. We had formed a High School Faculty with the few other High School teachers who would be involved in the project and as the High School grew, we were fortunate to be joined by some wonderful teachers so that after a short time we could offer the students a rich and varied curriculum in all the subject areas we desired. It was the cooperative work of this Faculty which in the early days successfully guided the High school into existence. One doesn’t like to mention names for fear of leaving deserving people out by mistake, but I particularly remember how the Art, English, Humanities, and Drama departments grew. The students too were an absolute joy! When Mary’s class reached Class 12 their project presentations were awesome as were the presentations in subsequent years.

It’s very satisfying to read now how the school has grown and thrived in the years since I left. Willy Brandt, former German Chancellor and Nobel Peace Prize winner said that the advent of the Waldorf Schools was in his opinion the greatest contribution to world peace and understanding of the 20^th century. Others have said the same or similar. Indications are that more and more parents are realising this. The more children who can receive an education which originates in an accurate spiritual conception of the human being, the better it will be for the future of society. It’s also encouraging to read that the teacher training program is attracting a growing number of applicants.

Greetings and good wishes to all!

Jonathan Swann