AT EIGHTEEN, the age when most students are doing their Higher School Certificate, Brian Mallyon was teaching high school subjects.
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He completed his Leaving Certificate at 16, went to Armidale Teachers’ College for two years, “spent the best three months of my life at Holdsworthy doing national service”, and then became a teacher at Quandialla Central School teaching English, Maths, Science, Agriculture and Tech Drawing.
Another central school, Canowindra, was next, and then Brian was promoted to Lyneham High School, ACT as acting head teacher science.
By this time he had married Bev and had two children, Janelle and Scott.
At Canowindra Brian took on the task of getting a Bachelor of Science degree as an external student at Macquarie University and the whole family went with him in the holidays to the Uni as he did his practical work.
He and Kevin Hyland (another former Bega High Science teacher) were the first external students at Macquarie.
Brian finished his degree in 1971 majoring in Chemistry and Biology and two years later was appointed to Bega High School as head teacher science, taking over from Jim Collins.
“It wasn’t a very big school, about 600 students.”
Brian retired just a few years ago and missed teaching enough to come back the first year to fill in a 10-week stint for another teacher.
Now he’s enjoying retirement and keeps in touch with the strong friendships made at school.
Over his long years in teaching science Brian saw a number of changes.
“When I started Chemistry was far harder, some of the work was what I’d done at university and now it is not as rigorous as it used to be - it’s been watered down.
“Biology got harder and Physics - well, Physics is Physics.
“The Wyndham scheme changed the way science was taught both in the junior and the senior classes.
“The only subject introduced in my years at high school was Geology, which is now known as Earth Science.”
When the Mallyon family came to Bega Janelle wanted to join the Bega Pony Club.
As a child Brian and a friend spent most weekends at a farm riding so Brian was pleased to have a daughter interested in horses.
He bought her a horse from Jamie Coman and while Bev played tennis, Brian became more and more involved in the Bega Pony Club and also the Bega A P and H Society.
Max Roberts, then an ABC rural officer and presenter, was the commentator on the horse events at the show and when he retired Brian took over.
“It was easy to learn with such a good teacher as Max.”
Now Brian shares the announcing of the Far South Coast National Show with Angus Lane, but he alone does the shows at Candelo, Pambula, Bemboka, Cooma, the showjumping at Cobargo, Nimmitabel, Dalgety, Bombala and he has done Delegate.
As a committee member for the Bega A P and H Society, Brian usually only worked on the ring events but when the equine flu meant there were no horses at that show he helped out with the beef section.
It’s a choice he regrets as a very heavy heifer pinned him against the rails causing injuries which meant he spent days in hospital and he still feels the effects.
Brian has been connected with the ring events in local shows for so many years that he has watched most of the present lot of riders since they first mounted and he is equally familiar with their mounts making his commentating job a lot easier.
Even at home Brian’s love of horses is reflected in a hobby he has had since childhood, leatherwork.
He used to make handbags but now he only uses his skills for leather for horse gear.
Now the local show scene has well and truly started the voice you hear over the loudspeaker is almost certainly that of Brian Mallyon.