Tatachilla’s own skipper, Noel Mifsud, has been inducted into an elite group of educational changemakers.

In recognition of his outstanding contribution to the study and practice of educational leadership at both the state and national level, Noel recently received the prestigious ‘Alby Jones’ Gold Medal Award from the Australian Council for Educational Leaders (South Australian branch).

Noel has become the 12th person to receive the annual accolade, which is the council’s highest honour.

Past recipients of the award include Rick Persse (former Chief Executive of the Department for Education, South Australia); Luke Thomson (former principal of Pembroke School); Jane Danvers (former principal of Wilderness School); Simon Murray OAM (former principal of St Peter’s College); Professor Faye McCallum (Professor of Education at the University of Adelaide, formerly Head of School); and Professor Martin Westwell (Chief Executive of the SACE Board).

Noel was presented with the 2023 Alby Jones Gold Medal by the Hon Blair Boyer MP, South Australian Minister for Education, at the council’s recent awards ceremony on 28 June.

He says he is greatly humbled to now be a member of such an illustrious alumni.

“It is with grace and gratitude that I stand alongside such giants of education, individuals who have gone beyond the scope of their professional roles to have an enduring impact on the way our children and young adults experience learning across South Australia and internationally.

“Like Alby Jones before me, there is no other job I would rather do than lead schools and I am currently privileged to work at one of the most beautiful colleges on the Fleurieu Peninsula.

“I believe that joy, intellectual stimulation, zest, fun and a genuine love of children and learning should be at the heart of a career in education. 

“I’ve been blessed with 40 great years in this noble field and my favourite part about being an educator continues to be talking with students, relating to their experiences and taking the opportunity to get in front of the classroom when I can.

“Tatachilla Lutheran College is unique in that our classrooms open up to trees, sky, vineyards and native wildlife, not roads, shopping strips or urban development… this has a profound impact on student wellbeing and allows us to capitalise on the environment as the third teacher.

“I am delighted to have the opportunity to influence education at Tatachilla and I accept the Alby Jones Gold Medal Award with the deepest appreciation and respect for this state’s educational forebears.”

About Noel Mifsud

Noel is among a few educators globally to be acknowledged for his educational leadership on every continent. His principalship at Tatachilla is his third, having also led Christian Brothers College in Adelaide and Xavier Community Education Centre on the Tiwi Islands in the Northern Territory.

During his time on the Tiwi Islands, Noel was recognised in NT Parliamentary Hansard (1996) for outstanding leadership in Aboriginal education. 

Noel has also consulted and lectured on educational leadership in India, the Philippines, Kenya, Cambodia, China, East Timor and even Antarctica, where he served as the wintering station leader for the Australian Government. 

For eight years Noel was advisor to the Australia Army on educational leadership, having served as the Reservist Captain in Army Education and helped establish educational frameworks and resource capabilities to assist soldiers nationally.

He has previously won the SACE Educators Equity Award for service to Aboriginal education and is also a recipient of a 30-year Duke of Edinburgh service medal. 

Noel is the newly appointed Chair of the Multicultural Education and Languages Committee and a member of the Education Standards Board, both by ministerial appointment.

Noel continues to mentor new and experienced principals across Australia and enable them to discover, celebrate and apply their professional voices across the education sector. 

Who was Alby Jones?

The late Dr Alby Jones AO (1912-2003) was one of South Australia’s first Fulbright Scholars (1956) and – following a 50-year career in education – became widely known as one of South Australia’s leading school educators. 

Initially a high school mathematician, Dr Jones later became the architect of significant reforms to teaching and school administration in South Australia, releasing his (now renowned) Freedom and Authority Memorandum that advocated for child-centred approaches to teaching and argued that teachers should have the flexibility to personalise their teaching methods. 

The memorandum also stated unequivocally that principals should have the authority to develop the ethos of their own school and interpret how curriculum guidelines were implemented, rather than the state-wide homogenous approach that was mandated at the time. 

Dr Jones later became Director-General of Education in South Australia, a post he held from 1970 until his formal retirement in 1977.

Photo: Noel Mifsud (centre) with his family, including son Casey, daughter Eliana and wife Jacqui