Mr Norman Ewing (Norm) began working for SCC in early 1988, less than two years after the Great Northern Highway site was opened for Year 8-12 students. He was a pioneering staffer who had been raised in India as part of a missionary family and had spent time overseas before coming back to Perth to begin life as a Christian educator.
In the late 1980s, Mr Martin Thyer (who still continues to work across a number of SCEA schools) was the Head of Science and met Norm, who was working in the Society & Environment department (known as Social Studies).
“Norm was a good and faithful servant. As a classroom teacher, he had a special talent for connecting with kids who found school difficult or who were not engaged with any part of the school program. Many years after leaving school, students still remember ‘Mr Ewing’ with great fondness, recalling his care and compassion, and his sound advice as they entered life after school.”
“Norm took on many responsibilities and events often as Year 12 Coordinator: working with the student Ball Committee, Year 12 Camp, Year 12 School Captains and Prefects, School Leavers’ jackets. He was also the ‘go-to guy’ for events such as coordinating the school photos,” said Martin recently.
While Norm was devoted to his classes and the extra-curricular pursuits of the growing school, eyewitnesses spoke this week of the eccentric side of Mr Ewing, which could range anywhere from wearing a brightly-coloured designer suit to a sports carnival right through to driving the school bus through the McDonald’s Drive-Thru and ordering 28 servings of French Fries after a school excursion!
Mrs Nikki Ellery, also known as a teacher with a flair for the dramatic, found a willing participant in Norm, who also believed that ‘life should be fully lived, and students should see the fun side of life.’
“He was such an authentic teacher who really engaged students with his heart for teaching,” said Nikki.
“He genuinely loved and accepted students and had a huge desire to bring out the best in them. He was the Head of Bennett House for many years and alongside this role, he organised so many camps, Year 12 Balls, and he ran the CAPS (Christian Aboriginal Parent-Controlled School) trips to Kalgoorlie.”
“Actually, when he was leading a CAPS trip several years ago, he didn’t load the trailer properly and hence loads of the students’ luggage flew off on Great Eastern Highway and had to be retrieved from various petrol stations along the way!”
Norm was dedicated to his teaching craft, and at the prompting of his Principal at the time (Dr Ian Lambert), Norm was nominated for – and subsequently won – a national teaching award for his excellence in the classroom.
He then continued to diversify his role in the College, serving in the College Library, setting up WorkLink (previously known as the work experience program) and then building up the program to include traineeships and pathways to careers outside of school.
Mrs Heather Pitman worked with Norm during their time together in the WorkLink program:
“It was a privilege to work alongside Norm during the final years of his career at Swan Worklink. He possessed a remarkable ability to encourage students, making them feel safe and valued.
During these years, Norm connected students with workplaces, playing an instrumental role in their understanding of the world of work and potential career paths.
Personally, he was a colleague who consistently reminded me of the Lord’s presence and provision. We will miss his tailored suits and designer shoes, his cheeky sense of humour, and, above all, his vibrant passion for life and faith in Jesus.”
Former Beechboro and Swan student Mr Ainsley Brough spoke this week of the influence that Mr Ewing had on him as a precocious youngster, guiding him in the right direction for his future vocation:
“I can remember in October 2005, Mr Ewing came up to me one day, handed me a piece of paper and told me directly that I should apply for an apprenticeship offer that he had sought out for me. He knew what I was, and what I was not, and he knew clearly the path that would suit me.
I completed the glazier apprenticeship (glass making and installation), I worked for SCEA for a number of years, and now run a couple of glass companies in the wheatbelt of WA.
It would be no exaggeration to say that it all started with Mr Ewing’s guidance way back then.”
Norm’s funeral was held at GraceLife in Malaga, with Pastor Josh Fernandez ministering to more than 400 at the memorial service about the incredible life that Norm lived his whole life, and the blessing that he was to the people around him:
“We also know, and have confidence that Norm is more alive now than ever before, with Jesus Christ in his heavenly presence.”
The live-stream of the entire service can be found at this YouTube link.
In remembering the life of such a long-serving staff member who contributed so much to the life of Swan Christian College and the fabric of our SCEA schools today, it should be noted that it was Norm Ewing himself who began the tradition of ex-student reunions at SCC. He envisioned the concept of ‘Alumni’ events, which sought to unite former students together with 10-year, 20-year and even 30-year reunions at SCC, celebrating their lives as they came back to the Swan campus to share and fellowship together.
One can only imagine now that Norm is enjoying a ‘reunion of the saints’ with his Heavenly Father, joining other SCEA staffers who have served dutifully in creating a legacy of Christian schools from very humble beginnings back in Midland in early 1982 to seven schools across the Perth metropolitan area today.
