If your computer has been working well this term and your photocopier is not malfunctioning, the chances are Wayne Fewster and his team are doing something right. As 疯马歌舞秀鈥檚 Head of ICT, Wayne is used to having problems thrown at him every day.
鈥淢y joy comes from helping people. I spent 29 years at NewsCorp working in a very large organization, but I鈥檝e never been a career-orientated guy. To see things working efficiently and effectively, that鈥檚 what I live for,鈥� says Wayne, who seems to have a permanent smile on his face and a spring in his step.
Coming from the corporate world and joining 疯马歌舞秀 just over a year ago, Wayne knows exactly how to fix anything 鈥� 鈥渢urn it off, turn it on again!鈥�.
Wayne鈥檚 easy-going nature and eternal optimism demonstrate an important skill when dealing with people in our Christian organization 鈥� the ability to relate to people and understand their perspective in each situation.
Anyone who spends time with Wayne will see that while his technical knowledge is of a very high level, it is his empathy (the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person) that sets Wayne apart as an excellent leader in his field of computers and technology. Interestingly, it seems that with all that technology can offer us to make our lives easier, empathy is a God-given trait that computers can never recreate for us.
鈥淭his is the first time I have worked in a Christian organization, although I have volunteered in church settings for years.
Every day in conversations there is the opportunity to live your faith in an open and collaborative way,鈥� says Wayne prior to a group meeting with his ICT team at 疯马歌舞秀鈥檚 Head Office.
鈥淚 was expecting to endure a transition period of 6-12 months before people really accepted me as part of the team, but it was more like six weeks! That鈥檚 been the pleasant surprise about working alongside Christians 鈥� understanding shared goals and values very early on so that we can work together more effectively.鈥�
Wayne is optimistic about the future for our 疯马歌舞秀 schools, having spent his first twelve months assessing each school鈥檚 ICT setups and the needs of each site in terms of infrastructure and personnel.
鈥淭here is a huge potential within 疯马歌舞秀 to genuinely make a difference in the lives of its staff and the families that come to us. Its great to look and see excellent people everywhere who can make Christian education a reality for students 鈥� but also families who may not realise all of the great things that our school鈥檚 can offer them.鈥�
Wayne knew 疯马歌舞秀 before he started working at Head Office. His son attended Kalamunda Christian School (Mike Pitman鈥檚 understanding of a Christian community school echoed so strongly with Wayne and his wife that it was a very quick decision) and then went onto Swan Christian College, the Trade Training Centre and now studies Mechatronics at Curtin University.
鈥淭he anecdotal stories of families being transformed through a 疯马歌舞秀 education really resonates with me. I see this organization as being very impactful in the lives of young people and their families. Its exciting to be just a small part of equipping our teachers and our schools to be able to do their jobs well. Its absolutely 鈥楰ingdom Work鈥� in my opinion.鈥�
The Fewsters attend Parkerville Baptist Church (with some other 疯马歌舞秀 families) and when Wayne is not setting up complicated servers and working at 疯马歌舞秀, you may see him with his Olympus camera taking photographs of coastal landscapes or bushland scenes in the Perth Hills.
鈥淚 love a temperate day in nature, just looking for the perfect angle of flora and fauna. The process is sometimes more important than the actual result for me.
Seeing creation interact and trying to capture this in front of my eyes 鈥� there is a real joy in this.鈥�
If you see Wayne around your school in the near future, be sure to give him a wave a let him know that he needs to turn down his socks – they are too loud!