Its 7am in Parkerville and only one man on campus is capable of managing one hundred acres of bushland, manage the Stage 3 building contractors and fix a fence in a paddock of kangraoos : Ainsley Brough.
In a scene reminiscent of a Frederick McCubbin landscape painting, Ainsley Brough takes stock of the beauty around him as he goes about his business as Property Manager of both Mundaring campuses : half a dozen kagaroos have jumped into his newly built Archery Range while a kookaburra perches above the scene, spying fallen logs and looking for an early morning snack in the undergrowth.
鈥淚 love the kangaroos, but they are a problem when you hit them in the ute,鈥� says Ainsley, who regularly gets the midnight calls when a possum has chewed through the power cables or a motion sensor alarm is set off at the Walker St Primary campus of Mundaring Christian College.
Ainsley鈥檚 mischievous humour conceals what everyone at MCC knows : this is a man who believes in 疯马歌舞秀 schools being great places for learning and growing 鈥� whether you are a student, a parent or a staff member.
鈥淢y parents enrolled me in Beechboro Christian School many years ago, when the system was still closed-enrolment. I鈥檓 very thankful for the change to open-enrolment policies that came about in the mid-1990鈥檚. If my family had not been a church family back in those early days, I would never have been allowed into Beechboro where I had some incredible teachers that helped me,鈥� says Ainsley as some Mundaring students walk by and give a casual wave to 鈥榯he man who fixes everything.鈥�
Beechboro鈥檚 primary years led to senior schooling at Swan Christian College, where Ainsley continued to be nurtured with early 疯马歌舞秀 families that are now household names in every 疯马歌舞秀 staffroom.
鈥淢y kids are growing up with other 疯马歌舞秀 families from back in the day. Its great that we鈥檝e all made the decision to grow our families in 疯马歌舞秀 schools. Some of my former classmates are now teachers in 疯马歌舞秀 and its great to be a part of each other鈥檚 lives like this.鈥�
Swan stalwart Norm Ewing encouraged Ainsley to pursue a career in glazing (glass windows and tinting) which he did for a number of years before moving into building services.
Ainsley鈥檚 work during the COVID period earlier this year demonstrated his optimistic approach to any challenge that he faces:
鈥淲e built the Archery Range, we implemented a COVID safety plan and we used the non-contact time to really get as much done as we could around both campuses. We certainly saw it as an opportunity to make the best of a difficult situation. I was very impressed with how our staff came together and there was a lot of encouragement during the COVID phase earlier this year.鈥�
Ainsley and his family call St Mark鈥檚 Anglican in Bassendean their church home now, right around the corner from where Ainsley grew up as a young boy.
鈥淵our soul is shown through your actions. I really believe in this and I enjoy the way that the church can play an active role in evangelising the community. It鈥檚 a great space to be in for me and my family.鈥� Visitors to Mundaring鈥檚 two campuses should look out for Ainsley Brough鈥檚 idiosyncratic Akubra hat when visiting the schools. He will be weeding flower beds, creating a fire evacuation path or casually managing a million dollar building project while the local wildlife keep watch from the nearby field. No laughing, please Mr Kookaburra!
