C. Margaret Cowin (née Boyd)

B.A., B.Ed., T.P.T.C., M.A.P.S., M.A.C.E.

(Member of the APS College of Educational and Developmental Psychologists)

Margaret Cowin (nee Boyd) Margaret attended Camberwell High School from 1946 - 1949 before going on to McRobertson Girl's High School for her Matriculation year. She was a keen student and an enthusiastic hockey player.

A Studentship then supported two enjoyable years at Toorak Teachers' College (graduating 5th in her year), followed by three years of hard work at Melbourne University which resulted in a B.A with a double major in Psychology.

Honouring her studentship commitments, Margaret then taught at Brighton St, Richmond Primary School, before moving into the Education Department's Psychology Branch. Having married in the interim, her continued involvement in paid employment flew in the face of the social mores of the time. Her third year of employment was marked by election to the British (later Australian) Psychological Society and the advent of equal pay for men and women in the Education Department.

However, obvious pregnancy ensured that she resign and she happily spent the next nine years rearing three children. (Professional skills that had been acquired were put to use in coaching and relieving pre-school teaching, not to mention in the upbringing of the said three children.) A major highlight of this period was two years spent in Lae, New Guinea, where husband Neville had been seconded to teach. When her eldest child went to Boronia West Primary School Margaret stood for, and was elected to the School Committee where she contributed for nine years, including years as Secretary and Chairman.

Encouraged by Neville (and again with generational eyebrows raised), Margaret went back to work on a part time basis in 1970. For the next nine years she was based in Dandenong as a Guidance Officer (educational psychologist.) Work was very varied and included working with individual children and their parents and teachers around issues, such as learning difficulties and behaviour problems, as well as major projects like the Ferntree Fully Inspectorate Prep Program. Word of this program spread far and wide and Margaret was invited to address a teacher conference in Brisbane on this topic. During this time she wrote "Preparing for School" which became the official Departmental publication on this topic, and which went into five expanded editions over ensuing years. As a result, Margaret did numerous radio interviews and the occasional TV appearance.

Working part time gave Margaret the opportunity to do further study and she graduated from Monash University with a Bachelor of Education degree in 1978. In the same year she was admitted into the Australian College of Education.

With the youngest child at secondary school Margaret moved into the workforce on a full time basis. In 1981 she was appointed as a Senior Guidance Officer with a statewide responsibility for liaison with the Primary Division of the Education Department. A major task during the four years she held this position was assisting schools to develop whole school discipline policies that included approaches that did not rely on corporal punishment. As a result, Margaret with five others wrote "Positive School Discipline: a Practical Guide to developing policy". The book sold well and was reprinted in Great Britain by Longman. A scholarship from the Victorian Teachers' Union supported her first overseas trip to investigate issues of school discipline in both the U.K. and Sweden.

In 1985 Margaret took up golf - quite a challenge for an erstwhile hockey player! Not much progress was made during the years of full time work, but since then she and Neville have played in the USA, Hawaii, Ireland and of course the venerable Royal and Ancient St. Andrews itself. Improvement and trophies have resulted and she is comfortable with a handicap of 26.

With the Senior Guidance Officer position under threat because of changes in Government policy, Margaret spent a year at the State Board of Education as a policy analyst in the area of integration of the disabled.

Later appointments included Senior Education Officer (similar to a school inspector) and Manager of the Frankston School Support Centre. This was a multi-disciplinary organisation with a staff of around 60 that supplied a variety of services to schools. (At the time it was one of the most senior appointments in the Ministry of Education.) The role involved not only managing the Support Centre, but also being part of the senior management of the region with responsibilities such as contributing to the selection of school principals and handling discipline inquiries.

Tired of the long hours doing things with a perceived political focus, Margaret resigned in 1992 and set up her own consultancy business. A very happy ten years followed with a good balance of paid work, travelling and informal further education. . This also allowed time for community involvement such as the local Council's Australia Day Committee and the Economic Development Advisory Committee; the Board of the Angliss Hospital and a major involvement as the chair of the Board of Management of the Knox Community Health Service from its inception. Her three children graduated in Arts/Law, Fine Arts/Education and Engineering respectively, married and produced six grandchildren who are all a source of great joy.

Other interests include gardening, sewing and knitting, advancing computer skills, wining and dining with friends and reading, reading, reading! She is grateful to family, teachers and friends who encouraged and supported her to learn, to challenge and to achieve.

Margaret (fifth from the left, bottom row) was the Form Captain in Form IIIA, 1949.