Mungindi Central School SLSO Noah Gafa has received the 2026 Excellence Award for Early Career Teacher Aide. Image: Kerri Daly.
When Noah Gafa arrived at Mungindi Central School in Term 4, 2024, he planned to stay for just one term. Almost two years later, the school learning support officer (SLSO) has won the 2026 Excellence Award for Early Career Teacher Aide, and the recognition has encouraged him to consider studying to become a teacher.
It is a long way from the underground coal mine where Mr Gafa was working before an unexpected series of events brought him to the small border town. At Mungindi Central School, which caters for about 70 to 80 students from preschool to Year 12, he has found a role that can take him from helping a child with classroom work to sitting outside with a student who needs help calming down.
Learning and support teacher Kerri Daly, who supervises the school’s SLSOs, said some students now specifically ask for him when they are struggling.
“A lot of our students have named him as their support person, so when they’re upset, they’d call Noah to help them calm down,” Ms Daly said.
Mr Gafa does not have one class or age group. He has worked across the school, including preschool, and also runs activities involving primary and secondary students before school.
“I like a challenge. I think across the whole school is a good challenge for me,” Mr Gafa said. “I also love building rapport with staff members all over the school.”
Mr Gafa also co-leads the Boys Hands-on Learning group for male students from Years 5 to 8, which combines practical work with lessons about responsibility and contributing to the town around them.
“We are just trying to transition them from boys to men, pretty much, and trying to make a difference in the community,” he said.
This term, the students have been working at the old Mungindi mission with local Elders. Their work has included cleaning and tidying the site, fencing and replanting, with the aim of making the area more welcoming for Elders and other community members to spend time there.
It was the work Mr Gafa was doing back at school that caught Ms Daly’s attention. She saw nominations advertised through the Australian Teacher Aide website and decided to nominate two members of her team, Mr Gafa and fellow Mungindi Central School staff member Lena Schreiner. Both initially received highly commended certificates.
For Ms Daly, nominating them was a chance to recognise work that can be demanding but often happens quietly.
“It’s a tough job at times, and there’s not often a lot of recognition,” she said. “They go above and beyond with their job and they deserve the recognition.”
The Director of Educational Leadership visited the school to present the highly commended certificates, but Mr Gafa was absent that day. The following day brought another surprise: the school was told he had won the award.
His path to that recognition had begun almost by accident. Before Mungindi, Mr Gafa was working in underground coal mining, while his girlfriend, who had graduated as a high-school teacher, completed a trial week at Mungindi Central School before the couple left for a holiday in Bali.
She liked the school and the town, but while they were away, Mr Gafa said the mine he worked for collapsed financially. His girlfriend received an offer to work at Mungindi Central School, and the school asked whether she knew a suitable male role model who could undertake youth or student-support work.
Mr Gafa had previously worked in student support on the Gold Coast and enjoyed working with young people. While still on holiday in Bali, the couple decided to take the jobs and make the move to Mungindi.
What was intended as a short stay became something more.
“I fell in love with the country and the town and the teachers here and, yeah, I’m still here,” Mr Gafa said.
Now the recognition for the job he never expected to have may be changing his plans again.
“I don’t do the job for any recognition or any thanks,” Mr Gafa said. “But I think getting the award put a little fire in my belly to realise that I can do something, I think, in a town like this.”
Ms Daly has already been encouraging him towards teaching, and Mr Gafa said the idea had been “on the cards” before the award gave him another push.
“In the next few months I’d like to be studying,” he said.
Whatever comes next, Mr Gafa is reluctant to make the award solely about himself. He said the challenging parts of being an SLSO also showed the importance of the teachers, leaders and other staff around him.
“You don’t get good SLSOs without having good leaders or a good team around you,” he said.
For a job that was supposed to last one term, it has already taken Mr Gafa a long way from where he started.
