Mark Morrison has been rewarded for his tireless work in the Kempsey Shire with a prestigious honour - a medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to vocational education and to the community.
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Mark has been principal of the Macleay Vocational College since 2012 and has been involved with MVWLC Inc since 1993. Mark also previously taught and coached a number of students during his time working as a teacher at St Paul's College Kempsey as well as during his time at schools in Sydney.
Mark was born in Sydney and his family relocated to Nauru Island when he was very young. He spent his early years on Nauru with his parents and two younger brothers.
"We moved back to Australia when I was almost eight and I completed my primary and high school years in Lismore," Mark said.
"I was always interested in sport when I was growing up. It was a way for me to control my energy and make lifelong friends. You name it, my brothers and I played it and we are still very competitive with each other."
Mark was also interested in music and played in bands as a teenager.
"Music taught me discipline, which is something I have used in all facets of my life since then. You need to be consistent and work hard to be successful, and music taught me that."
Mark said his interest in coaching sport came from his father and his calming patience from his mother.
"My father was a soccer coach while I was at school and I would go to training with him, I learnt what teamwork was like from him.
"I never had an interest in showing off because there were always players more talented than me and I just wanted to be able to show people how they can learn and improve themselves and their skills."
After school, Mark moved to Broken Hill and worked in the mines before moving back to Sydney where we attended university and became a teacher.
"I always wanted to be a teacher and during university I was coaching my friends' younger siblings in sporting clubs throughout the 1980s.
"I was involved in the Parramatta District Rugby League with Smithtown local Kevin Wise during that time as well."
Mark worked at the Patrician Brothers' College in Blacktown, Our Lady of Lebanon in Harris Park and the Patrician Brothers in Granville before moving to Kempsey with his wife Lesa in late 1992.
Mark worked as a teacher at St Paul's College from 1993 to 2008 and coached a number of sports at school and in the community during this time.
"We decided to move to Kempsey to start our family. Lesa and I always said we wanted our children to grow up in a country town, that great sense of belonging to a bigger community family" Mark said.
I feel very honoured to be considered among such great people. It's amazing recognition for the things that I just do.
- Mark Morrison
"I wanted to utilise my strengths, so coaching sport teams was something I could do to give back to the community.
"Lesa let me run around and get involved in sporting clubs and teams. I wanted to be a part of the St Paul's community and coaching was a way I could pass my attitudes to life and skills onto the students."
In 2001 Jann Eason established the Macleay Vocational College in Kempsey. Mark has been a member on the Board of Management for a number of years and has been the principal at the college for eight years.
"I was invited by Jann to be on the board for MVWLC Inc and then the college. It was a great institution that provided opportunities for young people to gain workplace training, preparation for life and confidence in education," Mark said.
Around 125 students are now enrolled at the college, as well as the young mothers who attend the Ginda Barri centre.
When asked about where his passion for young people in the Macleay who have who have fallen out of mainstream education came from, Mark said it all comes down to his love for the Macleay Valley.
"There are so many generous people who live here and I've just followed their example. Everywhere I look, I see generous and caring people who want the best for the whole community.
"If we're fortunate, we need to pay the fortune forward.
"Everyone looked out for Lesa and I when we moved here and I just feel like we're in a certain place for a reason."
Mark's tireless effort in the Kempsey community doesn't go unnoticed by those who know him.
"Lesa, Matt and I really feel like we belong here in the Macleay Valley."
As humble as always, Mark said receiving an OAM is a significant and special honour.
"I feel very honoured to be considered among such great people. I have been privileged to be involved in so many young people's lives through teaching, various sports, coaching and music. Their trust, respect and friendships have inspired me to do more where I can. It's amazing recognition for the things that I just do because there are lots of people in the Macleay Valley who help each other at every opportunity.
"The joy I get from what I do in the community is all the recognition I need.
"I hope the community, my staff, students and all my many friends who support Macleay Vocational College understand how proud I am to receive an OAM."
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