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Canberra Today 27°/30° | Tuesday, March 19, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Huitker’s ‘big life’ now in print

AFTER a 5-year wait, the next instalment of teacher, actor, rock musician, sportsman/coach and writer George Huitker’s story, “Big Life”, was launched at Radford Senior School Lecture Theatre early this week, with a bit of help from his rock band Junk Sculpture.

Huitker book

Now in his twenty-eighth year at Radford College, Huitker has long been known as a man of many parts. But in recent years he has faded from the theatrical scene to pursue a commitment to the concept and practice of ‘service’ learning that has made him indispensable at the school.

As a teacher and long-time sports coach, Huitker developed the knack of connecting with and mentoring people who might otherwise have been left out of the mainstream.

He began publishing his autobiographical books in the 1990s. They were initially books of poems: An ‘Unfamiliar Sea’ 1998, ‘The Actor is Happy’ 2000 and ‘An Unfamiliar Actor,’ 2002. His prose work, ‘Not Just Footy’ 2001, was adapted for the stage and its successor, ‘How to succeed without really winning’ 2005, won an ACT Writing and Publishing Award in 2006.

In 2006, Huitker initiated the Radford partnership with the YMCA RAID Basketball program (Recreational Activities for People with an Intellectual Disability), which had been running since 1984. Over the past ten years, this partnership has provided a wonderful opportunity for Radford staff and students to experience the truth behind the service learning motto: finding self through service.

In 2007, with Rachael Bishop, he established the ‘teamSUPPORT’ program and in the intervening time, in his role as Director of Service Learning, he has developed and overseen a wide range of service partnerships with local organisations such as Black Mountain School, Pegasus, Parkcare, Calvary, Cranleigh, L’Arche and others, and working in conjunction with Father Richard Browning on RAS and Dirrum Dirrum initiatives.

In 2010, Huitker published ‘Little Life’, which dealt with the development of the teamSUPPORT programs and , and 2011, he facilitated a new partnership for Radford, the Gamilaraay, program one which students and staff working side-by-side with local educators and students in indigenous schools and communities in northern New South Wales.

“Big Life”, by George Huitker, $25 available through Ginninderra Press, Amazon and Book Depository, but if within Australia the authors advises visiting the ‘contacts’ section at georgehuitker.com.au and order there.

 

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Helen Musa

Helen Musa

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